Shadow and Shine
by LyricalRiot
Summary: The First Order has been defeated, the Resistance is forming a new government, and two powerful Force users are in search of their destiny now that the war is over. They know they want to be together, but what exactly that means is far less clear. Perhaps a visit to an old home, a night of glamorous artifice, and trusted friends can guide them to a decision. SEQUEL fic to DFN;DFL
1. Chapter 1

**SHADOW SHINE**

Chapter One: Dust to Dust

 _"We shall not cease from exploration_

 _And the end of all our exploring_

 _Will be to arrive where we started_

 _And know the place for the first time."_

― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

For as far back as she could remember, an unseen power had been guiding Rey's life. It hummed softly in the space between heartbeats, so constant she hadn't recognized its subtle vibrations until crisis had called it into full manifestation. Before that, it quietly shaped her days. It made her sharp, perceptive, careful. It hinted at things to do, and things to avoid.

And now, she saw, it had helped her stay alive in a world meant to kill her.

Jakku hadn't changed at all in her year and a half away from it. But then, it hadn't changed in her nearly twenty years on it either. Change did not exist under the bright, unrelenting sun. The sand shifted around some in the season of scalding windstorms, but everything else sat perfectly preserved by the arid heat. Unable to grow, unable to decay.

At the bottom of the _Millennium Falcon_ 's loading ramp, Rey stopped, swallowing hard and reeling from a sudden blow of emotion that struck her chest. It had been her idea to come here, and she believed she'd be fine returning to the world that had imprisoned her for so long. But she hadn't anticipated the assault of sounds and smells on her senses, exactly as she'd remembered, dredging up memories and emotions long buried. The sights, however, were not quite unchanged. Upon closer inspection, she saw that things _were_ different — at least a little. Some of the structures that stood before were now rubble, and some of the tents looked like they had been relocated.

Still, all in all, Niima Outpost had recovered rather well from the First Order attack. Life resumed its normal, rugged routine. But then, of course it had. The people here lived in a brutal refiner's fire, and they knew how to survive when logic wanted them dead.

The scene transported her back in time, to grueling, endless days and even longer nights trying to stave off the gnawing loneliness eating at her soul. So much sadness here. So much emptiness. So much waiting. Even now it clawed at her throat, squeezed her heart, made her shudder. It threatened to drag her back into that feeling of quiet, persistent despair that had accompanied her every day until BB-8 showed up.

Jakku wasn't home. Jakku was nothing. And she, as a child of its empty sands, was nothing.

A hand found the small of her back — a touch so light but so reassuring and perfectly suited to the act of comfort. She turned to find Ben Solo's long, beautiful face set along the edges with concern, two dark eyes observing more than just her surface reaction.

Rey drew in a long breath. "I'm alright," she assured him.

The words sank into the hot air, useless and unnecessary. Ben could feel everything happening inside her. He was there in her psyche, his own mind woven into hers through so many threads of mystical connection it was impossible to untangle them. What began as a strange, accidental bridge between two lonely souls had, over the last couple months, become a tightly knit, constantly humming bond. They so rarely tried to close themselves off to each other these days. They'd grown used to the steady transfer of emotions between them. Without the other, both felt split in half. Incomplete.

"Rey." The name fell from his lips in a gentle prompt.

She lifted her chin, forcing her mind to focus. She was here for a reason.

"Let's go," she told Ben, mustering her resolve. "Business seems to have resumed, so either Plutt made it off Takodana or a new junk boss has set up shop."

As they headed away from the Falcon, Ben's concern faded into the background of his thoughts, and she felt curiosity replace it. His gaze moved over the sights of Niima with mingled distaste and interest. She saw it through his perspective, and found the scene less impressive than remembered. The outpost was a dirty little scrap of canvas in the sand, a pit of black market wares and thin notions of prosperity. He was right, of course. Having seen other places in the galaxy now, Rey now understood how small and seedy her childhood village really was.

"What an unlikely place to spawn a champion of good and light," Ben observed, a wry note coloring his deep timbre.

She barely heard him. Her mind was busy taking in the sameness of everything. As they threaded their way through the modest bazaar, she saw a Teedo arguing with Lerux Talley, the tinkerer. A hapabore guzzled greedily from a large trough while his handlers traded lewd stories with Devi and Strunk. Even Crusher was there, dragging his net full of gear towards Plutt's concession stand. Bitterness and fond nostalgia fought for supremacy in the pit of her stomach.

Again came Ben's touch, grounding her back to reality.

"Rey, I thought you said you were alright."

She glanced at him. "I am — I just — it's very strange."

The Crittermonger approached them, the trusses on his back swaying with dead animals of slim variety. He squalled at them in broken Basic.

"Welcome, travelers! Long journey makes you hungry. I have what you need."

Rey caught herself reflexively glancing around for Plutt's thugs. Scavengers weren't supposed to talk to the Crittermonger. He was only allowed to sell to off-worlders. It took her a moment too long to realize — she _was_ an off-worlder.

Ben waved him off with a curt, "No."

The strange creature with his strange wares shrugged and trundled off, searching for the next visitor to solicit. Rey watched him go, the sound of Ben's voice the only thing drawing her out of her distant thoughts.

"I take it by the look in your eye you never purchased anything from him?"

She shook her head. "Not allowed. I always wanted to, though. It seemed like such a luxury."

Ben did not attempt to disguise his clear revulsion. "Trust me, it isn't. Now that you're a verified spacer, Rey, you need to learn that there _are_ limits to what food should be eaten. Meat hanging from a rack, baking in a desert sun all day, is not advisable, I don't care what planet you're on. And the first food offered to you at a space port is usually suspicious."

This coaxed a smile out of her, and she nodded. "Thanks for the tip."

"I know this goes against your every instinct, but try not to worry about food while we're here. We have everything we need on the ship."

It _did_ contradict her instincts, running on overdrive now that she was back on this planet, surrounded by the same environment that had so long tried to crush her will. Still, Ben was right. She was comfortably situated now — no need to let this place get the best of her.

They continued on. As they went, Rey marveled. Stranger than the sameness of everything was that no one recognized her. Though there were a few unfamiliar faces, probably of new scavengers who had arrived after her departure, she still knew most everyone in Niima. Some of them had known _her_ all her life. She'd commanded a strong reputation for a long time, yet now everyone looked right past her, as if she were just another traveler passing through.

"You look different now," Ben replied, answering these unspoken thoughts.

"Not that different."

He glanced at her briefly. "More than you realize."

She wore her hair down these days. Was that the major difference?

"You are clean. Your clothes are clean. You aren't swathed up in protective fabric like everyone else. You don't have your staff." Ben ticked off these observations coolly. "Shall I go on?"

Rey brushed a strand of hair back, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm still me," she tried to protest.

"More or less. Before you were like them, now you're not."

She frowned, turning to face him, planting herself in front of him so he was forced to stop walking. His mouth twitched in amusement. She ignored this and gave him a demanding look. "Explain yourself, Ben. What does that mean? That I was poor and dirty and repulsive?"

Ben's chin lifted a little in that hint of defiance she'd come to recognize as a prelude to his unfiltered honesty. "These people. They're a lot like the girl I glimpsed on Takodana. Tough, tenacious, fierce. Determined to survive. Now you're still all those things, but also more. You have grown, and they haven't. More than tough, you're _strong_. More than tenacious, you're full of purpose. More than fierce, you are powerful. You aren't the girl who left this place, and the Jedi before me is a stranger they cannot recognize."

She blinked, heat rising in her face which had nothing to do with the glare of the sun. It wasn't the kind of response she'd been expecting. But she also knew he wasn't just saying it to be nice. Ben didn't do that. Her gaze dropped to the sand, not sure how to respond.

He smirked and stepped around her, a slight touch on her arm drawing her with him. "Can we proceed?"

They continued on, Rey still searching for some kind of rebuttal or reply. She tried to meet the eye of someone - anyone, certain that if even one of them met her gaze, they'd recognize her and prove Ben wrong. Because of a part of her was certain he had to be wrong. For all the claims that she'd grown, for all the changes she had experienced over this last year, deep inside she still felt a lot like the girl waiting in the sand. Surely one of them would see that too.

A long line of scavengers stretched from the concession stand, and Rey heard a familiar grumbling voice. She'd know it anywhere. It was the one and only voice that had accompanied her from childhood to adulthood. A voice that meant salvation, a voice that meant subjugation. A voice she hated.

Unkar Plutt sat in his modified cargo crawler, as he had done for more than twenty years, and doled out survival rations in exchange for scavenger haul.

But something had changed. Rey noted his mechanical arm, replacing the one Chewie had torn off in Maz's castle.

Ben made a soft, derisive sound, reacting to the memory passing through her mind. "That would have been amusing to see."

"Had you arrived a few minutes earlier, you would have." She tried to keep her voice light as she referenced that awful day. Compared to the First Order attack and the specter of Kylo Ren, Unkar and his vicious threats had been the smallest of worries. He was easily dispatched by Chewie. The rest of the day's menaces were not.

Rey's stomach tightened at the sight of him, tense with disgust more than fear or hate. Ben sensed this.

"Did he mistreat you?" he asked.

She heard the warning in his deep voice, and barked a sardonic laugh. "Yes, but that's just the way he treats everyone. I was his favorite, until I stole the Falcon from him."

Rey had earned that favor through hard, thankless work and the understanding that the devil you know is better than the one you don't. Not that being Unkar's favorite had ever been a particularly coveted spot. He didn't go out of his way to demonstrate his preference. He cheated his favorites just as often as he cheated his enemies.

She eyed the line of scavengers waiting for their turn to sell their wares. On all of them hung an expression she recognized. Apathy. This was life, day after day, unchanging and unrelenting as the harsh sun. Some of them gabbed to each other about the latest gossip — inflated tales about the battle of Naboo . They exchanged conjecture about the new, no-doubt-more-valuable salvage that would be littering that green world. Some declared their intent to get off Jakku and go there, where they could get paid better.

And they all nodded in agreement because they all shared the same vague dream, but they all equally knew how impossible it would be. No one left Jakku except the extremely lucky. For most, there were no greener pastures. Just endless seas of sand.

Rey fought back a wave of pain.

Ben took her hand, drawing her glance up to him once more. In those warm, dark pools she saw her home.

"Shall we get this over with?" he prompted. "So we can get out of here?"

She swallowed and nodded, pulling him with her to the back of the line. It took a minute too long for her to let go of his hand — he didn't seem inclined to do it himself. It was strangely comforting to have his long fingers wrapped through hers, reminding her that she had an ally and partner. But Jakku wasn't a place for softness or sweetness, so a moment later she let him go, feeling too keenly that such demonstrations were entirely out of place here. She crossed her arms and moved forward as the line thinned.

Plutt did not spend a great deal of time trying to recognize her. His tiny eyes passed over Rey only briefly before focusing on the much more commanding presence of Ben.

"Not one of mine," he assessed. "What are you looking for, then?"

Ben's voice rang strong and authoritative. "Interceptor parts. Whatever you've got."

Plutt smirked. "An aficionado of the Empire, are we? Well, you're in luck. I do have what you want. Rare stuff, very valuable. It wont be cheap."

Rey was prepared for this. She knew he would take one look at their fine clothes and ratchet up his price as much as he thought he could get away with.

"Careful now," she warned. "We know the value of these parts, and we don't deal lightly with swindlers."

Now his attention _did_ fix on her, gelatinous body startling at the sound of her voice. He squinted with unveiled suspicion. "The _value_ is flexible. This is the only supplier of genuine Imperial Interceptor parts left in the galaxy, and supplies are limited."

"Show us what you have," Ben demanded, "and we will determine what is fair."

Plutt's gaze remained fixed on Rey, his scowl deepening in puzzlement. She tensed, braced for what she knew would come eventually. Unkar knew her face better than anyone. He would figure it out sooner or later.

"What's the matter?" she asked, unable to stop the taunt from surfacing. "Afraid conditions have changed?"

His puny eyes widened at this echo of words long ago spoken. Words that began his string of troubles. "It can't be..."

"I'm surprised you got out before they bombed the castle," Rey said mildly.

"It _is_ you! How dare you show your face, girl!"

Outwardly, she maintained a steady glare. Within, however, she flinched at the too-familiar epithet. It was the only thing he, and pretty much everyone else, had ever called her here.

"How's the arm?" she asked. Maybe it would have been better to let Ben handle these negotiations on his own. Unkar would have dealt him the parts he wanted, Ben would have deftly maneuvered the traps and haggling methods usually employed by the junk boss, and they could have been on their way. The second she decided to show her face here, she'd chosen to entangle them in trouble.

But beside her, Ben seemed more fascinated than annoyed. She detected that he was less interested in the parts than watching her confront the demons of her past. His curiosity piqued, he watched Unkar with studious intent.

"I'll get every man at my disposal to arrest you, thief, unless you've come to give me back my ship," the Crolute snarled, eyes flashing with a wicked, deadly gleam.

"It isn't yours," she said. "It belonged to Han Solo, and now it belongs to me."

Ben leaned forward, fixing Unkar with a narrow look. "We are here to conduct business, not quarrel over the ownership of the lady's freighter."

"That ship is _mine_ ," Plutt said, his voice rising. "And she is no lady. She's trash, just like the idiots who sold her to me, just like the rest of this sorry lot."

Rey felt a ripple in the scavengers around her as they started to piece together the bits of information being expelled from the Blobfish. The tension mounted within her, a tight knot coiling and burning somewhere in her chest. She hated him. Hated his saggy, blobby face and his shrewd, cruel eyes. He who acted like he owned Jakku. Who lorded over everyone with his ability to decide who survived and who starved. He held the reins of every scavenger and merchant here. Of everyone.

"It isn't. I'm not," Rey growled. "And neither are these people."

Ben stirred beside her. His gaze swept out over the dusty denizens who had stopped to watch.

Plutt sneered. "You want those parts? You'll have to give back what you stole and pay twice what they're worth. Otherwise, no deal."

The Force around Ben flexed, shifting with power and wrapping around the Crolute's greedy mind. "You will give us what we need," he said coolly.

Unkar laughed, utterly unperturbed by the attempt, and fortunately just as unaware. "You'd be mad to believe that. Congratulations, girl, you found yourself a new master to keep you alive. But don't get cocky. It doesn't mean you're free. You'll always be the scavenger scum I raised in the sand. You'd be dead without me."

"And you'd be dead without me, wouldn't you?" Rey countered.

Beside her, Ben's psyche began to buzz with genuine anger. It filtered through her, hot and familiar, as only he and Leia could radiate. Something about this exchange had annoyed and offended him.

"You were generously rewarded for that," Plutt said, his already pink face and bulging neck reddening further. "I owe you nothing. But you owe me a ship, and an arm, and a droid."

Ben's hand lashed out, calling down the segmented hatch that crashed down from the top of the cargo crawler's window and cut Plutt off from view. He held it there with the Force, despite the banging and shouting from inside indicative of Plutt's efforts to raise it. Turning to Rey, he drew a deep breath to steady his anger.

"What are our other options?" he demanded. "We're not doing business with this bloated maggot."

Rey glanced at the hatch and knew Plutt's thugs would be on them in a moment. They were no match for the two powerful Force users, she knew, but still — the last thing she'd wanted to do here was bring more trouble to these already troubled people.

"Let's go," she muttered, ignoring the startled murmurs and glances thrown their way by a quickly retreating crowd.

Ben dropped his hand and followed her. She saw the dark, indulgent fantasies playing through his mind — various ways to kill Plutt that would satisfy them both. Usually this instinct for violence disturbed and alarmed her. Today it gave her a grim smile. Ben's murderous scenarios were amusing and gratifying.

"But we can't kill him," she sighed.

"I was able to see into his mind, Rey. It's no less than he deserves."

She nodded. "He is awful, but I've also seen the kind who could replace him. Trust me, it could be worse."

At the Falcon, two Teedos astride luggabeasts were poking and prodding the hull with great interest. Ben sent them flying back with a vague gesture and an unseen blast.

As if this were a routine occurrence that did not warrant an interruption of conversation, he turned his attention back to her. "Does that insight have something to do with why you bothered to save his life?"

"It's a long story," Rey deflected, in no mood to recount it. "It's too bad your mind trick didn't work on him."

"He's hardly weak-minded," Ben said, shrugging. "And I didn't try very hard. Revenge seems more satisfying than manipulation."

"Yes," Rey agreed. "It does."

Once inside the familiar freighter, Rey felt the tightness in her chest begin to ease a little. These surroundings were comforting. They reminded her that life was so much different now. And Ben, subtly attentive to her every ache, reminded her that she wasn't alone anymore.

"What do you want to do?" he asked. "Remember, I can always requisition a new craft, or new parts. We can leave here if you want."

Rey sat heavily in the pilot's seat, deliberating. She knew they could go, but she felt unsettled and dissatisfied. This homecoming — of sorts — had not been a good one. It made her feel worse about her memories of this place, and she struggled to embrace the triumph of her escape.

She wasn't ready to leave, but she didn't know how to go forward either.

Ben motioned for her to move over to the copilot seat. This unusual request caught her off guard, and she did so with only a vaguely curious glance in his direction.

Outside, Plutt's thugs headed towards them. Neither of them observed this with even a flicker of worry. Ben sank into his father's seat and fired up the engines. With a few deft flicks, he had them airborne. The thugs beat the air with their clubs and Rey could almost imagine their screams of rage as their prey lifted off. She smiled. Ben eased the controls and sent them gliding away from Niima, arcing high over an endless ocean of sand.

"Where did you live?" he asked, though he didn't need to. He could have found the information in her memories.

"The Goazon Badlands," she said, pointing. "That way. But it's been so long. Without me there defending my territory, it's probably been looted by scavengers and Teedos."

Ben's intentions felt pure, but Rey didn't know if she could stomach seeing her little refuge destroyed. She didn't want to go there. At least, not yet.

His presence within her mind tuned into this, and his purpose shifted, even if their trajectory didn't. The ship dipped low over rough, empty terrain, sweeping along paths Rey used to travel with her speeder. The last time she'd been in this ship on this planet, she'd not had time to contemplate anything except keeping away from those TIE Fighters on her tail. Now, Jakku looked strangely peaceful and almost, _almost_ , pleasant from the glass refuge of the cockpit.

The Falcon seemed to sail effortlessly in Ben's hands, singing as she'd never done before.

"Ben," Rey breathed, heart skipping a beat at the undeniable change she felt in both man and ship.

He didn't glance her way, but his warmth wrapped around her in the Force, affectionate and deeply pleased. This first flight in his father's place made his ego stir with pride. The Falcon responded so beautifully to his lightest touch, as if she'd been awaiting his attention all this time.

A smile teased over his full lips and he glanced at Rey. "I can see why you like her."

She grinned. "More power than you expect, isn't it?"

He nodded, giving them a bit more juice so they skimmed along the planet at an exhilarating speed. "You know," he announced in a tone far too casual. It didn't sound like him. She gave him a sharp, suspicious look. "The only time I visited your world, it was night, the circumstances were unfortunate, and I left when I got what I needed. It didn't give me a chance to look around."

So simple, this reference to such a terrible massacre. Rey frowned and waited for him to reveal his point.

"I believe you wanted to undertake a study to find the most beautiful place in the galaxy, didn't you? So here we have our first candidate. Who better to give me a proper tour, and introduce me to the beauty of Jakku than a native?"

Rey almost laughed, though it would have been bitter and mirthless. "Beauty? Ben, this place is the armpit of the galaxy. And a tour doesn't solve our problem of the Interceptor parts. I'm afraid I brought us on a fool's errand."

"We could go in there and take whatever we want." Ben didn't sound concerned. He barely moved the controls and the Falcon soared, giving them both a fluttering thrill that echoed between them. "Forget the parts for a moment and show me your planet."

"It isn't mine," she said, setting her jaw in stubborn defiance. "I hate this place."

"Ah, Rey." Ben sighed. "Still deceiving yourself, I see."

"I'm not!"

He rolled them lazily through the sky, directionless and wandering, eating up miles and miles of sand. "Captain, our heading?"

"You're the captain here, Solo." Despite her obstinance, Rey experienced a ticklish bubble of amusement at Ben's mood. It reminded her, just a little, of the laid-back attitude she'd discovered in his father. Even if coming here was a mistake for her, it was having a strange effect on her companion.

He ignored this jibe and leveled them out again, nudging the nose towards a distant, flat horizon.

So she rolled her eyes, mostly for show, and pointed out the viewport. "Fine. Start over there. It's called the Graveyard, and I think you'll find it particularly interesting."

* * *

 **{AUTHOR'S NOTE}**

* * *

Hey guys! It's heeeeere! This is my sequel fic to Day Follows Night; Dark Follows Light.

If you haven't read that, just know that this story takes places after those events. The Resistance has defeated the First Order in a battle on Naboo, and our two protagonists are sorta-kinda-togetherish, or at least acknowledging and sometimes acting on the chemistry between them.

If you're coming over from that story, yay! Welcome back! Updates with this one probably wont be as quick as last time (at this point I can't imagine a two-chapter day) because I've resumed a lot of boring life-stuff, now that my arm is fully functional again. Plus I'm knee-deep in writing a non-Star Wars novel and it's sucking a lot of my creative energy. But there's so much I want to explore with these two, and I have fun, fluffy plans for this fic, so let's do it!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Plundering the Past

* * *

 **Ben Solo - One Day Before**

* * *

The First Order resources were stretched thin. Too many battles on too many fronts had scattered their forces and their commanders. The Resistance efforts had effectively sown chaos among a group bred for discipline.

Ben frowned, reading through the report. "This is the most recent information you have?"

Poe sat in a chair opposite him, propping his feet up on an unused holodeck. "It's from yesterday, how much more recent do you want?"

"This morning would have been preferable."

"I'll inform my slicers that their groundbreaking, unbelievably impressive work isn't quite good enough." Poe rolled his eyes. "Come on, Kylo, I don't think it's changed much in the last few hours. Did you get to the part about the rendezvous order?"

"Yes." He flicked his finger over the datapad to find the referenced alert. "Looks like some units have acknowledged and are preparing to move out."

"Yep." Here Poe's dark eyes flitted to him, brow furrowing. "So what exactly are you planning, once you get them all together?"

Ben set down the datapad and considered the other man. He didn't still harbor the hate that once boiled in him at the very sight of this cocksure replacement for his mother's affection — but they had a long way to go before he could claim to be friends. Right now he tolerated Poe, for the sake of his mother, and Rey, and the work they needed to undertake. He didn't need to dive into Poe's mind to know he felt the same way.

"That depends on your progress with the establishment of a new government."

Poe rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. "Yeah, that looks like it's going to be tough. Turns out a month is just enough time to bring out all the leaders of oppressed people who think they know the best answer. It's turning into a logistical nightmare and we've barely begun."

"Good luck with that." Ben allowed his disinterest to seep into the words. He didn't envy the daunting task Leia had set before Poe and the other Resistance leaders to organize a new system of government out of the ashes of this brief but costly war. He had a part in it, but thankfully not the part that required committee meetings and long hours trying to reason with a myriad of strong opinions.

The First Order was still out there, and without a strong hand to seize the reins, it would devolve into in-fighting and forming of factions while various commanders tried to salvage what was left of their empire. It had happened that way before, and Ben did not intend to let it happen again. He would exercise his authority over them and bring them all to heel.

Poe must have been thinking something similar, because he frowned. "We're putting a whole lot of trust in you, Kylo, by giving you back your army. It's maybe the most insane thing we've ever done."

Ben glanced at him. "I don't suppose you'd simply take my word for it if I told you I had no interest in seizing control of the galaxy anymore, would you?"

"Not as such, no," Poe said, breaking into a grin. "But Leia trusts you, and Rey trusts you, and you _did_ help Finn, so...I guess I'll believe you."

It was the closest thing to joking around they'd ever managed with each other, and Ben thought it was plenty for one day. He stood and moved over to a window, letting his thoughts turn to the greater galactic situation. The First Order had resources the new government could use, but it also had a deeply ingrained dogma and mission that would not be easily cast aside. He had to proceed with caution, if he wanted to secure the loyalty of the leadership and prevent dissension. A healthy dose of fear would help keep them in line. Fortunately the rumors trickling through the ranks about Hux seemed to be that Kylo Ren had killed him in revenge. That alone should keep some doubters from planning a mutiny of their own.

"How soon will you go?" Poe asked, watching him.

Ben gazed out at the buzzing, bustling metropolis of Coruscant. He stood with his feet apart, hands coming together behind his back. "Not right away. I need to give them time to get there, and to feel the weight of their failure. Besides, Rey has something she wants to do first."

"Go back to a certain desert planet?" Poe asked, lifting a brow.

He gave a single, short nod, glancing back. "You've spoken to Finn."

"Yeah, he says you need parts for some ship. Why go there, though? You've got a vast armada and shipyards to spare, don't you?"

"I do." Ben could have a new _Silencer_ if he wanted — could have any ship he could dream of with any passing whim. But the idea of fixing up his old one scratched some unrealized itch inside him. It was an illogical desire, though, and he knew it. So rather than admit to Poe that it had been years since he'd done any real mechanical work himself and was rather looking forward to it, he offered another explanation. "But Rey feels ready to go back and face her past, and I intend to be there when it happens."

The thought that passed through Poe's mind was a loud one, loud enough that Ben didn't need to be in his head to hear it. Poe thought of Tuanal, and thought that Ben ought to answer for the massacre he'd authorized there. Poe hoped that going back to Jakku would force Ben to confront the full weight of his crime.

This amused him, in a grim sort of way. As if he hadn't felt, even in the very moment he authorized it, the damnation of that decision. Still, Tuanal wasn't the chief thing on his mind when it came to Jakku. When he thought of that planet, he didn't think of the sacred village or its dead inhabitants. He thought of the man and woman he'd seen selling their tiny child for pennies.

"Are you going to take Rey with you to the rendezvous?"

"If she wants to come, I won't stop her."

The other man sighed. "So, that's a yes."

Just as they'd come to a reluctant peace with each other, the two men had also come to an unspoken understanding regarding Rey. Ben knew that Poe was trying hard to stifle unrequited feelings for her, and Poe knew that Ben had some kind of connection with her that he couldn't understand or rival. Once, these truths chafed and provoked both of them, but the fires had cooled a little now. Ben no longer cared, and Poe seemed to have resigned his campaign for Rey's interest. Still, Ben could feel pity for the man in his frustration, now that he saw a not-too-distant future wherein Poe had moved on.

Leia insisted that they were brothers, and Ben supposed that wouldn't be true if they hadn't overcome a period of rivalry. He assumed — though, to be honest, he didn't really know anything about brothers.

"What will you have Finn do, now that he's back in good working order?" He tried to direct Poe's attention elsewhere.

The pilot took the diversion and ran with it. "He's got a growing legion of defected troopers who want to follow him. We'll put that to use somehow. And we definitely need Rose. They'll be busy."

"Good." Ben nodded. "Idle, post-war retirement doesn't seem a likely position for either of them."

"For any of us," Poe agreed.

Someone knocked on the door and they both glanced at one another. Now that the Resistance had set up on the highly visible, highly populated, highly historical Coruscant, Ben had to be careful who saw him mingling with the new leaders of the galaxy. Few knew this meeting was even taking place, in fact. Not even Rey, who had been busy with Rose working on the Falcon when Poe pulled Ben aside for a quick update.

Poe ushered him away so that he was not immediately visible from the doorway, and then went to punch in the access code.

The door slid open and a protocol droid stepped forward, her mechanized female voice delivering a quick and apologetic report that General Dameron was wanted at the senate reformation panel in ten minutes. Poe waved her off, annoyed.

When she was gone, he turned back to Ben. "I guess that means this is over. But you're going to check in, even after the rendezvous, right? This will be a coordinated effort, not you doing your thing, and me doing mine, yeah?"

Ben smirked. "I believe we were instructed to work together, were we not?"

Relieved, Poe nodded and smiled widely. "Yeah, we were."

"Then I'll keep you apprised of our movements and plans. Get your talented slicers to work out a highly restricted comms channel or other means of classified communication."

"I will. Look, I hate to ask this again, but I didn't really get a great answer last time. What are you going to _do_ with your army?"

"I won't know until I can consolidate these scattered resources," said Ben, motioning to the datapad report, "and see what we still have left to work with, and until I know what you're working out here. I don't think turning it all over as a military branch to a disorganized, unformed pseudo-government will make the galaxy feel safe. We'll proceed carefully and deliberately."

Poe nodded, rubbing his stubbled jaw, brow furrowed in thought. "I see what you mean."

Ben moved towards the door, but paused at the threshold and turned around, giving Poe one last appraising glance. "Have you decided to trust me?"

Poe shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I've decided to trust you too." Trust did not mean friendship, but it was a start. Ben adjusted to the fit of this new relationship as he would a pair of stiff new boots. It would get more comfortable with time. "We'll shepherd this new era in little by little, together."

This gave his companion a crooked grin and he nodded, extending his hand. Ben glanced at it, smothered the urge to ignore him, and instead clasped it in a brief shake of concord.

"Good luck on Jakku," Poe called after him as he headed down the hall.

Ben didn't turn. His thoughts had already moved on from the once-pilot-now-leader. He searched for that thread of connection inside him that tied him to Rey's light, and used it as a homing beacon to guide him to her location. They'd lingered here long enough. Finn and Rose were settled after their pleasant convalescent vacation, Rey had drunk her fill of the bizarre world filled with one enormous, chaotic city, and now Ben had properly laid the groundwork for the complex task ahead of him. Nothing remained. It was time to go.

When he found her, suspended against the side of the Falcon by a makeshift harness, hidden behind a protective visor and busy with a welding torch, Ben experienced a rush of profound pleasure. It washed away the careful, guarded attitude he employed around the rebels.

She must have felt his proximity, because she paused, clicked off the torch, and lifted her visor. Her gaze locked onto his immediately, as if she'd known exactly where to look for him.

"Hey, where'd you go?" she called down.

He toyed with a smile. "I had a meeting."

"A meeting?" She pulled one side of her harness and it lowered her quickly to the ground. "What does that mean?"

"I'll tell you later. We should go soon. Will she fly?" He motioned at the hulking, hideous freighter.

Rey grinned. "Of course she will. Ready to give her a spin?"

"No, she's all yours."

* * *

 **Jakku - Now**

* * *

How foolish he'd been.

This was...this was _fun_.

Ben regretted turning down every one of Rey's offers to let him fly before this moment. He'd not known, could not have guessed, that it would fulfill him on such a deep level.

The Corellian freighter moved like an extension of his own body. It flew better than the _Silencer_. He'd never been behind the controls of anything so intuitive and responsive. No wonder his father loved his ship, and no wonder Rey had fallen in love on her first flight. Despite the monstrosity of the many, many modifications made over the lifetime of the Falcon, she slipped around with agility and grace, justifying every single one of them.

"This is a great ship," he confessed as they wheeled around a huge Star Destroyer jutting out of the sand.

Rey laughed. "That greatness comes at the price of reliability, or have you forgotten?"

"It's worth it."

"Head that way, if you're done here." She leaned forward and pointed towards an unremarkable horizon.

The Graveyard was a grim place, littered with wreckage and bleached bones. He wasn't sorry to leave it, though it had made a suitable playground for him to test the responsiveness of the Falcon.

When he wasn't thinking about the ship, or listening to Rey's stories about a particular scene, he was quietly and secretly enumerating the many ways Jakku was quickly becoming the worst place he'd ever visited. A more miserable, deplorable spot in all the galaxy Ben could not imagine.

Still, he kept these thoughts to himself, careful to hide them behind a subtle partition he'd erected in his mind. This barrier maintained a facade of reassuring ambivalence for Rey to fall back on when her own emotions and memories became too overwhelming. Ben wanted to be her strength when she felt weak. She needed to believe that he didn't find Jakku horrible and alarming.

— Although he did, and it was. The more he saw of this dismal wasteland, the more his soul quaked with fury that the other half of him had been forced to endure so many years alone here. If the Force could have shown him this future beside her, he would have moved heaven and earth to get her off this rock long, _long_ ago.

Ben listened to her stories and explanations with an attitude of interest, though sometimes the things she described with nonchalance made him shudder. He thought his childhood had taught him about not getting attached to things or people — they all chose something else, in the end. But while he'd learned about the cruelty of people's choices, hearing her stories made him realize she'd been far better acquainted with the cruelty of fate. She'd grown up watching people die in traumatizing and unexpected ways. No wonder her light was shaded by veins of darkness. Her life had been an exercise in resisting despair and doubt and death.

"Follow that hapabore trail," she motioned, and Ben wondered if that streak of flat sand was what she meant. A few specks moved along it, whether scavengers or indigenous Teedos, he couldn't discern.

The Pilgrim's Road (though the term was far too generous, in his opinion) lead them to the Sacred Villages, perched atop a ravine. Passing over these put a heavy silence between them. Ben didn't need to be told what those were, or why one of them was a sand-covered ruin now.

Rey didn't glance at him, and he could feel a fleeting echo of pain flare in her. She didn't like to be reminded of the things he'd done before. As for Ben himself, he observed the scene with passionate self-loathing. He'd let himself be a puppet for far too long. He had slaughtered innocents for a cause that had, in the end, deceived him. He would have liked to be free of the souls that clamored to him from the void, clawing at his conscience, demanding justice from him — but he did not deserve it. So he endured them. He accepted them as his punishment.

"Hey." Rey's hand found his arm, touch as gentle as her voice. "Head towards those mountains."

He squinted at the horizon, grateful for something else to think about. "There are mountains out there?"

"More like shadows from this distance."

Even shadows seemed like a liberal description. Ben could discern a smudge on the horizon, slightly darker than the sky arcing over it. He pressed the throttle and they surged away from the sacred villages. Dark memories behind them, both breathed a sigh of relief and focused on the smudge, growing now into shadows, and then into jagged, toothy shapes.

"Carbon Ridge," Rey explained as they got closer. "Hostile place. Not much of value up there — unless you believe the rumors."

"And what do the rumors claim?"

He'd vaguely expected to find relief from the stark, wretched landscape among the crags and shaded valleys of the mountains, but that proved utterly wrong. The mountains were merely sharply upthrust monuments of bare, brown rock.

"They say there is a secret Imperial base hidden down there, guarded by creatures called Dead-Enders."

Ben frowned. "I've never heard of that."

She shrugged. "I always assumed it wasn't true. The Dead-Enders are very real, but the base seems farfetched. I just thought they were half-mad survivors of a crash site."

"Has anyone been up there?" He scanned the cracked and baked terrain with new interest, curiosity prickling.

Snoke had never mentioned anything about a secret base on Jakku, but it didn't necessarily mean one didn't exist. Ben's deep dives into the archives of the Empire had unearthed information regarding Emperor Palpatine's keen interest in the Unknown Regions long before the war pushed them out there. Jakku was the last stop before heading into those uncharted territories. It wouldn't be outrageous to think that Palpatine would use Jakku to plan and launch investigations beyond the galactic shores. So...it was possible.

"Ben," Rey said, voice flat and unimpressed. She could feel his stirring interest. "There's nothing."

"Does that mean yes, someone has?"

"Yes. Plutt and a few of his people went looking for valuable salvage. Do you know what they found?"

"I'm guessing trouble, by your tone." He glanced at her with a wry smirk.

She nodded, brows low, mouth set in a hard line. "The Dead-Enders. They came back with bad moods and several fewer men than they left with."

Ben pulled away from the mountainside, searching the steep slopes for a good landing site. He'd spotted what he thought was a likely location for a hiding spot in the form of an ominous cave. "Weapons are no trouble for us."

"For us?" Rey recoiled. "You want to go up there?"

A rocky outcropping caught his eye. It wasn't great, but it was better than landing at the base. He circled it slowly. "Don't you want to know for sure?"

"Not particularly, no."

But Ben knew better. She could feel that her own curiosity had sparked, perhaps lit by the flame of his own. Still, she was fighting it, burying it beneath opposition and logical fact. No matter. He could form a rebuttal for each and every argument rising up in her mind. This place didn't have a lot of emotional connection for her, so here he was going to push this, even if it made her uneasy.

They landed a little precariously, and Ben wondered if this ledge was quite as stable as it looked. Rey's tight, worried grip on the console told him she wondered the same thing.

"This is a bad idea," she said in a low, warning voice.

He waited a moment, listening for groans or shifting rocks beneath them. Nothing. Confident that they weren't about to plunge to their deaths, he finally powered down and stood, giving Rey one last glance. She watched him warily. Ben headed out of the cockpit, not waiting to see if she would follow. But of course she did, as he knew she would. Together they descended the loading ramp, emerging into hot, howling winds which threatened to blow them completely off the mountainside.

Rey gasped and grabbed onto him reflexively. "You didn't even give me a chance to tell you about the wind," she complained above the roaring. "Or the rockslides!"

He slipped her arm through his and grabbed her hand. "Come on. We'll be fine."

The reluctance on her face almost made him call off the plan. She was afraid — which baffled him, considering the danger she had faced in the past with barely a flicker of worry. Despite this fear, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded and gave him permission to continue.

He pressed his shoulder into the wind and led them, holding tightly to Rey, her arm tucked beneath his. He angled his body in front of hers as much as he could so as to shield her from the gale. But kriff, it was _hot._ He glanced up at the path climbing up towards a dark, gaping maw in the mountainside. They'd landed near it, which was fortunate.

Ben couldn't really identify why this mystery had seized him, or why it felt so important to investigate. Rey was probably right — she had lived here her entire life, after all. But something drove him onward, compelling him to find out for himself. It came from a place inside him he was used to heeding. Maybe not quite the Force, this didn't necessarily have the flavor of something to do with the Force, but it did come from the same well that housed his instincts.

Thankfully, Rey had decided to go along with this incomprehensible whim, even though he knew she didn't really get it.

They climbed, and eventually the path twisted them out of the full force of the wind. It still tousled them vigorously, but no longer seemed to be trying to kill them.

"Ripper-raptors," Rey said, pointing up to the sky.

Four huge reptilians rode the thermals high above them, leathery wings outstretched as they circled slowly. Ben felt Rey shudder against him, and drew her in a little closer.

"Scavengers of a different sort?" he guessed.

She nodded, eyeing the creatures uncomfortably. "Where there are ripper-raptors, there will soon be dead things for them to eat."

"They'll be disappointed," Ben assured her. No doubt Rey had watched them devour a not-quite-dead victim once or twice, explaining the deep dread he detected flowing through her. He tried to push back with calm reassurance. They could handle just about anything. A few carrion lizards weren't anything to get worked up about. Though he had to admit, the sight of them hanging in the air like that, tracking the two humans' ascent, gave him an eerie feeling.

The path became very steep right before the cave, until Ben and Rey were forced to use their hands to scrabble up the last few feet. They emerged on a ledge much bigger than the one they'd used as a landing pad, though this one was surrounded by huge boulders and a debris field of smashed and splintered rocks. Clearly they shouldn't linger here too long. The rest of the mountain sloped above them towards a jagged, broken peak. He understood the danger of rockslides now, observing the shattered evidence of them at his feet.

But beyond that, the cave. A black scar in the side of the earth, ominous and threatening.

Ben moved towards it. Rey fell into step beside him, still nervous but forcing strength into her every step. He admired this about her. Even when she was afraid, she could always somehow tap into a well of courage.

A shadow moved between them and the cave — a figure, shifting between boulders.

Rey stopped, and Ben followed suit.

A huge rock came hurling down at them from above, flashing in Ben's periphery. He lashed out with a protective burst of Force, sending the rock to smash harmlessly against an enormous boulder.

"They're trying to stone us," Rey warned as another flew at them.

Ben deflected that one as well, frowning. "Are these the Dead-Enders?"

"Yeah."

One of them stepped out into view. He was unmistakably human, with a huge white beard flowing nearly to his ankles and wild, glassy blue eyes. He wore tattered and broken Imperial armor and screamed a string of numbers. He then chucked another massive rock at them.

Rey took this one, sending it blasting straight back to the attacker. It smashed into his chest and knocked him flat, a scream that choked into a wheeze shattering the mountain silence.

More figures began to emerge, all almost identical. They stared at their fallen comrade, blinking and processing slowly.

Here was that trouble she mentioned. Ben unclipped his lightsaber and ignited it, the anticipation of a good fight trickling into his veins. He was ready. Though, if they were unarmed except for rocks, this could quickly become a slaughter.

At the sight of the lightsaber, every single figure reacted — at first recoiling, and then erupting into savage, senseless cries and waving hands.

Rey glanced at Ben, and he at her.

"What does that mean?" he asked her.

She shrugged.

The figures moved towards them slowly, still bawling in incomprehensible babble, but now they stretched out their hands before them as if in supplication. This bizarre sight forced Ben back a step, wary and confused. Rey, however, moved towards them. Ben did not like this. He reached out and grabbed her before she got too close to these human-shaped ghosts.

They moved like men already dead. Slow, weary, pained. Their armor was in deplorable condition, and every single one sported a beard as long as the first. Their skin had turned leathery and tough in the relentless heat of the mountainside, but their eyes shone brightly — too brightly. They glistened with madness.

"I don't think they're going to hurt us anymore," Rey murmured, letting him pull her back to his side.

Ben wasn't so convinced. He thrust out with his mind, searching for whatever she thought she felt. The men were mostly gone, at least in their mental capacity. They repeated strings of thought over and over in their minds, but intent filtered through the nonsense in vague wisps. And Rey was right. In that intent, Ben sensed only wanting and relief, no threat.

He clicked off his lightsaber, but did not relax.

The men stopped just short of the couple, sinking to their knees, groaning syllables without words. Two of them reached for Ben's boot, touching it almost reverently.

"Umm..." said Rey, observing this worship.

Ben shook them off, skin crawling at the idea of these wraiths touching any part of him. "What is this?"

The men all flinched and opened their mouths wordlessly, gaping in silent stupor.

Rey squatted down to their level. "Who are you?"

Six pairs of glassy, distant eyes fixated on Ben. None of them seemed to hear her.

Ben frowned. "Are you officers of the Empire?"

One of them expelled a groaning sound.

"I don't...I don't think they can really talk anymore," Rey decided, standing when she realized they only cared about Ben. "Maybe we can find the answers we need inside them?"

Ben glanced at her with a lifted brow. "Are you suggesting a probe?"

She winced, but nodded. Her reluctance was palpable. "You're...pretty gentle, when you want to be. Maybe they won't even feel it."

They wouldn't, unless they were actively trying to resist him. Given the devastated nature of their cognitive function, Ben doubted they'd put up much of a fight even if they did know what he intended to do. So he lifted a hand and directed it towards the nearest of them, letting the cosmic energy that thrummed through him flow into the other man, wrapping around his enfeebled mind and opening its rusty gate.

There wasn't much left. A few fragments of memories, more than thirty years old now, of superior officers in Imperial garb issuing instruction. These instructions revolved around and around, circling on an endless loop, the only thing that remained after all this time.

 _Guard the base until he comes. Guard the base until he comes. Guard the base until he comes._

When Ben searched for who "he" was, he found a fractured image of Darth Vader, red saber flashing before him, flanked by Darth Sidious. Darkness emerged, deep and yawning, stretching before him like a chasm and calling him by name.

He wrenched himself out of the man's mind, expelling a short, shaken breath.

"What did you see?" Rey asked urgently.

The shade before him didn't even seem to have noticed. His posture, expression, and breathing didn't change.

"They are Imperials," he confirmed. "And they were instructed to keep watch here, thirty years ago. They've been waiting..."

"Waiting for what?"

"For Darth Vader. Or the Emperor." He offered the hilt of his lightsaber to her.

She took it, turning it over in her hands as comprehension dawned. "They think _you're_ Darth Vader?"

"I think they're too far gone to recognize more than just the red beam."

All once, Rey drew herself up and pressed the weapon back into his hands. "Tell them to show us the base. If they were instructed to guard this place, it means there is one after all. They'll listen to you. Use that, and get us into the base."

Sometimes, when she spoke in a certain way or held herself tight and squared like that, Ben could glimpse the empress she might have been. He grinned, just a little, and turned back to the creatures at his feet. He didn't feel the need to pretend to be his grandfather. They could not recognize the difference anyway. Instead he ignited his saber and watched as all eyes turned to the crackling blade, drawn like moths to a flame.

He pointed with it towards the cave. "Take us inside."

They rose. Two remained behind while the others lurched into step. Something about their posture had straightened and they seemed to walk with a little more purpose than before. Good. That meant there was something of the old soldiers still left inside them. Ben tingled with anticipation as they followed these creatures past the dead man with the crushed chest. A surge of guilt and sorrow swelled within Rey at the sight of him. Ben knew she hadn't meant to kill their attacker, but her aim had been a bit too accurate and her defensive instinct a bit too strong.

 _It was a mercy,_ he assured her silently. _These men have been waiting for death for a long time._

This eased her anguish a little, but he knew it would take her a while to really believe that.

Darkness swallowed them up as they entered the cave, lit only by the crimson glow of his hissing lightsaber. A long tunnel wound down and down, plunging deep into the heart of the mountain. If Ben hadn't personally glimpsed inside the mind of one of these guards, he might suspect they were being led into a deadly and unescapable trap. But there was no deception left in them, only one unshakeable order.

Finally the passage opened. They couldn't tell how big the space was, only that the tight walls of the cavern had leapt suddenly into the blackness, too far away to discern. One of the men disappeared into the gloom. Rey pressed in close to Ben, her face awash with the eerie red glow. Ben wondered why she didn't light her own blade for additional light. Detecting this question, she shook her head and gave their remaining companions a dubious look.

Somewhere a loud clack sounded, followed by a slow whirring. Popping and buzzing, a series of lights flickered to life and illuminated an enormous cavern. Rey gasped and Ben's heart skipped a beat, both struck with speechless awe by what unfolded before their eyes.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

:D

Sorry to end on a cliffhanger, guys. It's just more fun that way. Next update should be coming in a couple days. Don't worry, I haven't lost my momentum with these two, despite the other stuff going on. It helps that Disney keeps putting out new Star Wars material to keep it all fresh in my mind. I just finished reading Last Shot. Baby Ben and Papa Han were absolutely adorable and heartbreakingly sweet. I enjoyed it a lot. And if you're on Twitter, check out the video that Star Wars just posted today where Donald Glover gives us a tour of a VERY SPIFFY AND GORGEOUS Millennium Falcon, pre-Han, of course. So much cool stuff.

Anyway, some comment responses:

 **Nakamagirl6** : Yay! I'm really happy you came over from the other story. Thank you for your kind words and don't worry about making peace, there's lots to come still! Thanks for your review!

 **XxEviexX** : I'M REALLY HAPPY YOU'RE HERE! Also your reviews are just a little bit extra awesome because I have spawned an offspring by your same name, so seeing your username triggers an additional pleased response in my brain. It's a good name. That aside, thanks for your review!

 **anniemp:** Hooray! As always, thanks for your editing and thoughtful remarks. To answer your question, it's been about a month since Naboo and a couple weeks since DFN ended. I had more planned between that ending and this beginning, but I scrapped most of it. Also I went and read Divergent Dreams on your recommendation and enjoyed it a lot. That was a fun take on those alternate futures. I have some different strategies for how to handle the Jakku visit, but it's a super intriguing idea. I may have to figure out how to work that in another way. And don't worry about real life interference with updates ;) I'm highly motivated to keep working on this and get new chapters up quickly.

 **Kelcou13** : I'm so honored! Thank you! And I'm excited you've come over from the first one. :D I debated whether or not to just keep adding to it or make a new one, and decided it would make more sense for a new adventure to have its own story. So I'm pleased as punch that you're here and still following this thread.

 **BillieCipher92** : Thank you so much! I'm happy that you decided to read DFN and enjoyed that too. There is so much to explore with these two characters — hopefully its a fun ride for both of us :D


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE: Into the Deep

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

A treasure trove.

That's what Rey thought at first, when the lights came stuttering to life and illuminated the vast construct beneath the mountain. It looked like a treasure trove. A real life, dingy-but-glorious sea of valuables. Only these weren't jewels. It was gear. Enough loot to set a single scavenger up for hundreds of lifetimes.

The walls were stark and definitely military, holding up a natural cave ceiling crossed with wires and ductwork. The room could have fit a whole hangar's worth of vehicles, but instead contained a city of computer terminals, stacks and stacks of boxes, endless rows of old Imperial stormtrooper armor, and pallets of weapons. The boxes promised further treasures, the likes of which Rey could only dimly imagine.

It _was_ an Imperial base. Caked in a layer of dust, but otherwise perfect. Well stocked and still waiting for a combat unit to descend and make use of it, thirty years later.

She gaped, turning in a full circle, dumbstruck. This vast collection of extremely well-preserved loot had been here for her entire life. Untouched. And the only thing needed to access it was a red lightsaber.

Heedless of her companions, she ran towards one of the pallets of weapons, running her fingers over a case of standard-issue stormtrooper blasters. A thrill ran through her, thinking of the price such perfect items would fetch in Niima. No doubt the charge packs were dead — and if not they'd have to be very, very careful lest some had become unstable after all this time — but still... the portions these would have fetched! Her brain fought for clarity in all this awe, trying to calculate what Plutt might offer in his most generous moods.

"Ben..." she said, shivering and glancing up.

He had drifted towards a computer console, his face a blank mask. But she knew the truth. She could feel his heart pounding inside him with excited wonder, his mind spinning as dizzily as her own.

"Why is this here? Why store all of this on Jakku, of all places?" The question emerged from her before she even realized it was brewing. It seemed unlikely that Ben would know. Her gaze flicked to the Dead-Enders, still standing listlessly by the entrance, their eyes following Ben. No doubt they knew the answer, once, long ago.

"It was probably the last Imperial stockpile." Ben looked around as he ran a finger through the grime on a computer screen, then rubbed it off with his thumb. "The last supply station before heading into the Unknown Regions."

That did make some sense, she supposed. Her planet's only claim to fame, before the decisive Battle of Jakku ended the war, was that it was right on the edge of the wild and dangerous frontier of uncharted space. Foolhardy souls chasing legends and mysteries would stop here for one last refuel before launching into the abyss. If the Empire wanted to do the same, no doubt they would build their own station, rather than rely on Niima the Hutt and her pitiful supplies.

She moved towards one of the unmarked boxes, curious. What would the Empire have stored here besides armor and weapons? Ben joined her, and the eyes of the Dead-Enders followed him.

"Are they going to stick around?" Rey whispered. The sound echoed around the vast space. She still felt a little guilty that she'd killed one of them, especially now that she understood their sorry plight, but it didn't stop the wave of creepiness that came every time she looked at the men.

Ben's gaze caught hers with a hint of knowing. "They disturb you."

"Don't they do the same for you?"

"No." Still, he turned to the Dead-Enders and motioned to the tunnel they'd come through. "Go. Guard the base. I will come for you when I need you again."

If this order to resume their duties gave them any emotional response at all, they didn't show it. Instead, they turned and shuffled out. The moment they were gone, Rey felt immediately relieved. She looked around with a new sense of freedom, now that they weren't being watched.

When Ben had decided to come here, she thought he'd been certifiably insane. There was nothing, _nothing_ about investigating the old rumors that appealed to her. She'd been there when Unkar and what remained of his men returned from their own investigation, and it had solidified her suspicion that nothing but death and disappointment awaited seekers of fables. She didn't intend to be one of them. Not for the sake of a myth. Ironic, considering the turn her life had taken since then, depositing her directly into a world where myths had come to life and fables became dangerous, thrilling reality.

Now, surrounded by all this, she was very glad Ben had insisted. Of all their adventures over the last few months, this was certainly one of the more bizarre — and exciting.. Electricity crackled in her veins, making her jumpy and awakening her inner child. She wanted to run around and look at everything, to open every box and rifle through all the supplies. No doubt there was food somewhere here too, vast quantities of it, enough to keep the Dead-Enders alive all this time. Tunnels branched off from this main chamber, calling her to explore every inch of this base. She wanted to see it all.

But she played it cool instead, tapping into some of Ben's reserved, methodical calm to stem the tide of urgent energy flooding through her.

"I wonder why this isn't labeled," Ben mused, examining the rectangular box before them. It was metallic and fitted with two handles on either side for easier carrying. Though, Rey thought, it was big enough that doing so would have been awkward and cumbersome.

She fidgeted impatiently. Studious Ben and his studious approach to discovery, examining all facets of its exterior. She wanted to rip the lid off and see what was inside.

"It's locked," he determined, finger twining around a small, innocuous fingerprint scanner dangling from an eyehole latch.

Rey perked up. She recognized it. She'd found one similar long ago and used it to make her speeder useless to anyone without her prints. Useful little things, especially when housed in protective casing. Without it, they were a bit delicate. Flashing Ben a quick grin, she transmitted a ' _wait here_ ' feeling as she dashed back over to the blasters.

Rey lifted one gingerly, supporting it in the crook of her arm to access the charge pack connection. It looked stable, but she wasn't going to risk it. With slow, cautious movements and a great deal of delicacy, she unhooked the connector and threaded the charge pack out of the blaster's stock.

As soon as it was free, she ran back to Ben and presented him with the weapon.

He gave her an unimpressed look. "I'm not going to insult you by asking if you know they don't actually work without the power pack."

She laughed. "Thank you. I do know that, yes. I had a different sort of use in mind."

Since he didn't seem inclined to try to discern it himself, she showed him what she meant by tipping the blaster and sharply slamming the back end of it into the lock. It cracked. She drove metal into metal one more time and was rewarded with a satisfying shattering sound. Splintered pieces fell away, dropping to the soft earth. Rey gave Ben a triumphant grin, and received an amused one in response.

"I'll let you do the honors," she said with a gesture. "In case whatever's in there was contained for a reason."

A low chuckle, so soft she almost missed it, rumbled from him as he reached for — and lifted — the lid.

"Whoa," Rey breathed, a reverent hush taking the wind right out of her words. "What...what is it?"

Light danced over a deep sea of white crystals, sparkling in dazzling array. They seemed to soak in the light and radiate it back out, giving the interior of the box a subtle glow.

Ben reached in and carefully plucked one out, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. It bent the light and cast little illusionary rainbows in the air around it.

"Kyber?" Rey asked excitedly.

"Nova," he murmured, transfixed. "They're called Nova crystals."

Rey picked one up herself. It was smooth and refined, and breathtakingly beautiful. She didn't know what a Nova crystal was, but the radiating awe in Ben's mind made her believe they were rare, and maybe valuable.

"Very," he replied. "Very, very valuable. Especially white like this. Usually they are green."

The little stone rolled in her hands, its tiny spectrums tumbling with it. She bounced it once to test its weight. Lighter than she expected. Her mind began to race again, pulled into the whirlwind of possibilities that were beginning to dawn with this new fortune at their disposal.

"Do you think there are more?" she asked, looking around with renewed curiosity. Similar, unmarked boxes were stacked in various places, each promising the same glorious stash inside. It _was_ a treasure trove after all. With the real stuff, as well as the gear.

"I'm certain," Ben said with a nod. His mind was busy working too, though not on the future. Rey felt him sinking into rumination about the past, vague thoughts of the Empire transferring to her.

Without searching for context, she didn't really understand it, so she left him to his contemplation while she pocketed her stone and picked up the blaster, stalking off to find another box and see what was inside. Again she eyed the branching corridors leading away from this room, and again experienced the tingle of anticipation. Their time on Jakku wasn't indefinite. They hadn't planned to stay long, and she had no way of knowing how vast this complex was, or how long it would take to explore it. But still. She couldn't _not_ poke around.

"I'll be right back," she called to Ben, abandoning her pursuit of the other boxes to head for the nearest passage. From his side of her mind, she felt a twinge of concern, but he voiced no protest. Their connection kept them tethered, even as she moved further away from him. He would know if she ran into trouble.

The corridor was built out in stark, minimalist decor, not unlike the First Order Star Destroyers and the base on Naboo. The Empire had certainly influenced the aesthetic of its successor. But then, the First Order wasn't so much a successor of the old Empire as much as it was its remnant. Rey mused idly to herself about the old and new regimes as she opened the first door she found. It revealed an empty barracks full of bunks, stacked with more boxes. These ones were labeled as containing boots and officer uniforms. After poking around and finding nothing particularly interesting, despite the fact that everything about this place was interesting, she left and explored three more vast barracks.

Clearly the Empire had stationed personnel here at some point, but Rey still wasn't sure why. A checkpoint for resupply made sense, but why have room for so many to sleep and live?

The passage turned, and she turned with it, coming face to face with a cave-in blocking the rest of the tunnel. The lights still worked in the corridor around her, so she could plainly see the scorch-marks on the pristine walls and charred rocks. It had been…blasted?

Doubling back, she found another hallway leading off from the main vein, though it too ended in a cave-in. She frowned. Someone had destroyed this place, whether by accident or on purpose. Along this hall, however, she did discover a room still intact which made her heart skip a giddy beat.

It was a storeroom. A storeroom for food. Dry goods, protein packs, and survival rations greeted her from open boxes, stacked high and deep. She scooped an armful out of a box and hurried back to the main chamber, eager to show Ben her discovery.

She found him bent over a holotable, fiddling with the controls.

He glanced up when she returned, clearly relieved at first, and then curious. "What did you find?"

"Everything ends only a little ways down. The halls have all been blasted closed. I've a feeling this used to be a lot bigger."

"Hmm." He returned his attention to the table.

Rey wasn't finished. "But look, I found the food! And there's a lot of it."

Ben didn't look up, and didn't sound surprised. "Probably how the guards have survived all this time."

"That's what I suspect too." She set the items down on a nearby computer terminal and selected a protein pack for herself while she came up beside Ben and peered at what he was trying to do. Clearly he didn't understand what a boon it was to find such a gratuitous supply of food on Jakku, because his reaction was really underwhelming. Still, Rey couldn't hold it against him. Besides, he was distracted, and likely not at all hungry.

The holotable sputtered and buzzed, trying to come to life after long disuse.

"Did you find anything here?" she asked.

"More crystals." He motioned over to a few of the other unmarked containers. "And Spice, and Outer Rim unregulated coins."

"Spice?" Rey spotted the box in question. Even from this vantage, she could see the packets of brown powder peeping from an open top. "Like the drug?"

She didn't have much experience with Spice. No scavenger she knew could afford it, so the only people she met who used the addictive narcotic were off-worlders. Some of them ended up staying on Jakku, too strung out to make the right kind of decisions that would get them off-world again, or just plain too broke to leave. They always tried to make it as scavengers, but she knew from experience that they were often the exceptionally foolish kind. They never lasted for long.

"Yes," Ben confirmed.

"Why would the Empire stockpile a drug?"

"Same reason they stockpiled the coins, and the Nova crystals. It looks like they were shoring up stores of various currencies. No doubt they knew a day would come when the Imperial Credit would become unstable."

The holotable finally warmed up enough to cough into life, a hazy, grainy projection blooming in the center. It was a star map, though Rey could not recognize any part of it. Ben pressed another button, and the flickering image slowly loaded a new scene. Another map, but this one of — Carbon Ridge. Rey blinked.

"That's where we are." She pointed at a particular ripple in the mountainside. Snaking through the readout was a long series of tunnels and chambers, leading away from them and deep into the earth, down and down until it would require a different map entirely to follow where it went. Rey stared and marveled.

Ben was busy reading some information that came up beside the map. "A research facility…" he murmured.

"Who would destroy a research facility?" Rey still scanned the map, noting that the chamber they'd come in seemed to be a large storage area at the back of the base, with a main entrance situated in another part of Carbon Ridge. She wondered if it too had been blasted shut.

"The Battle of Jakku," Ben said, turning to her. "The Empire was probably under orders to destroy this place when the rebels arrived. They couldn't risk it falling into rebel hands."

"But why is this room still intact, then?" She gestured vaguely around them. "Why the Dead-Enders and their order to guard it?"

Ben shook his head. "Perhaps they didn't mean to. It seems foolish to leave this much wealth behind after they'd gone. I imagine they thought it was destroyed too."

Wealth. So much wealth. Rey turned away from the projection and let her gaze wander over everything all over again, thrilling anew. They could do anything they wanted with this kind of fortune. Anything at all. Buy any ship, any building, maybe even any planet. They could go anywhere, eat everything, be comfortable. They would never have to worry about money again. Not that Ben ever had. But she, at least, could finally feel secure.

Putting her hand in her pocket, she withdrew her Nova crystal and considered it once more. A peculiar kind of emotion was creeping over her, slowly, like heat exhaustion at the end of a long day. It ate at her excitement, chipping it to pieces in favor of something more weary.

Overwhelmed. That's what she was. Utterly overwhelmed. That all this gratuitous excess and richness existed all along, only a few miles away from her, while she toiled ceaselessly just to have a bite to eat at the end of the day. Nothing allowed her a day off. Not injury or illness, not the regular female intervals of inconvenient ache and mess and lethargy, not sorrow or storms or just being too sick of it all. If she didn't scavenge, she didn't eat. Yet here was food and riches to spare.

Now that the initial joy of discovery was wearing off, she found herself holding back anger. Or maybe sadness. Something choked her and soured her glee into a clog of unpleasant emotion.

Part of it, she realized, was coming from Ben. He stared into the sputtering, pixelated holo, his thoughts a deep, churning current.

"What's wrong?" She pressed into his mind gently, more of a nudge than a real intrusion. Maybe focusing on his troubled thoughts would draw her out of her own.

He glanced at her, flicking off the holo. "I've been thinking of what we should do with all this."

"What we should do?" A frown tugged at her mouth. "What do you mean? We're not just going to treat this as our own personal bank and come get what we need, when we want?"

"This fortune doesn't belong to us."

Her temper flashed at this, provoked by fresh memories of her lifelong deprivation. "Why not? Apparently Darth Vader was supposed to come here, before it all got blown up. You're his heir. I think that makes this yours."

"It didn't belong to him either, Rey. It was extracted from the galaxy."

What did that have to do with anything? The ships in the Graveyard and every part within had been extracted from the galaxy at some point too, but now they were fair game. _Finders, keepers_ was the law of Jakku.

"The galaxy hasn't missed it," she muttered.

"Do you know how Nova Crystals are made?"

"I assume they're mined." Her tone was more icy than she meant it to be. Ben couldn't know what it meant for her to suddenly arrive at the prospect of never worrying about how to afford a meal again. He couldn't know, because he had never gone hungry. And maybe sticking with him meant she would never go hungry again either, even without this fortune. Still, it was hard to curb her annoyance.

He continued patiently, as if her sarcasm hadn't held a barbed edge. "They were primarily refined by Wookiee slaves. It was grueling work, and most Wookiees died turning Nova into crystals. Part of what makes them so rare and valuable is how labor-intensive they are. I thought they'd gone out of circulation long ago. I didn't realize the Empire had just collected them."

Rey looked at the pretty little gem in her hand and its phantom rainbows, and this time imagined it was soaked in Chewie's blood. She almost dropped it.

"So…are you suggesting we give all of them back to Kashyyyk?" The venom had gone out of her now, unable to hold up in the face of this revelation.

He shook his head. "Not exactly, though not far off either, I suppose."

Again, that twinge of pain in him. This base had peeled open some part of him she'd only glimpsed a few times. A place of aching, yearning regret. She waited for him to continue.

"I think we could use it to help them."

"The Wookiees?"

"The galaxy."

Recognizing his suffering, she moved towards him, reaching with her mind as well as a hand that brushed his arm. His thoughts were preoccupied and fretful. It wasn't like him. The touch strengthened her connection to his thoughts, and she saw images of Tuanul burning through him. She almost flinched away, certain that she did not want to see his participation in that horrific crime. Ignorance really was bliss when it came to Ben's atrocities. But it wasn't just Tuanul on his mind. He also remembered the explosions on the _Raddus_ , the streaks of light arcing towards the Hosnian system, the many victims felled by his crackling blade, the many planets broken and enslaved by the same master who held him on a leash.

And she understood.

When they saw these riches, each of them saw their own personal hell, and a way out. She saw a guarantee that she'd never experience the depths of poverty and starvation again. Ben saw a way to repair what he had broken.

A way to make amends.

His dark eyes searched hers, soft and gentle, fully aware of her presence in his mind. His hands found her elbows and drew her a little closer, inviting her in further, allowing her to explore any part of his sequestered soul she wanted to discover. He wore that expression he'd used in the past when he needed her to understand something.

"Rey," he murmured, throat bobbing. "Maybe our destiny isn't just about exploring the mysteries of the Force. Maybe I'm supposed to make restitution for the things I've done by using the spoils of the Empire to rebuild the galaxy. Maybe I can finally be free of it all."

Her hand came up to his face, touching the place on his cheek marred by that thin scar. It mirrored the split nature of his soul. Through his search for acceptance and meaning, he had sold off pieces of himself. Bartered his soul in exchange for an identity. The deeds he'd done in the name of that exchange gnawed at him even now, long after he'd escaped it, long after he'd come to a place of self-acceptance. Even if he could be at rest with Rey in this new middle ground they sought, he still carried with him the endless reverberations of his crimes.

But now he saw a way out.

"Will you help me?" he asked, voice dropped to a soft, pleading whisper.

"Yes." Of course she would. How could she say no? If this would bring Ben peace, she would spend every last crystal, gram of Spice, and wupiupi to do it. Also, it had the happy side effect of making him, the agent of so much bad, a force of good in the galaxy at last.

Being this close, both physically and emotionally, spurred her heart into thudding a little too hard. To release some of the building butterflies in her stomach, she leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek. Kissed that scar. It would remain a permanent part of him, but they could heal the internal wounds. He didn't have to carry those forever.

"Though," she admitted when she sank back down, heat rising in her face. "I don't really know how."

His mouth, deliciously tempting and altogether distracting, quirked into a half-smile as his eyes continued to hold her in warmth and affection. "I thought a scavenger seemed like the right partner to have in the work of salvaging the broken."

A light clicked to life within her mind, and she stiffened in surprise. "Oh!"

"What is it?"

"The scavengers…" Rey pulled away from him, eyes widening. She turned and hurried over to a box of Nova crystals, calling as she went. "Does your plan to rebuild include Jakku?"

Ben followed. "The First Order impoverished or destroyed many planets, but Jakku's problems are all its own. Our actions here have clearly had little lasting impact on the local economy. But you're thinking of something radical."

"I am," she admitted, running her hands through her box, drawing lines through the bright, glittering stones. "And it wouldn't even scratch the surface of all this. Just a few of these should do the trick."

He pressed into her thoughts, and she allowed it, letting him see the budding idea even as she explained it aloud.

"Plutt can't control people who don't rely on him for survival. What if we paid the scavengers directly? With a crystal and survival rations. The crystal will buy their way off this rock. If we can offer the prospect of freedom, they will eagerly plunder each and every remaining Interceptor for parts — probably will go out of their way to find more ships still untouched. Everyone wants to get out of here. They will jump at the chance."

Ben looked at her pityingly. "Rey. That's naively optimistic. Face it, most of them will squander what we give them on vices and foolish decisions, and they'll still be stuck here. You know better than I do that most of the people who end up here do so because of their own poor judgement."

She bristled. "Yes, I am quite aware of that."

They were the words of the entitled and privileged, evidence of all the assumptions that came with upper class living. They cast all the downtrodden under the same umbrella of subtle blame. As if they had earned their miserable fate, and thus deserved it. Rey had encountered such attitudes before. Perhaps because she did not fit that mold, she found it particularly offensive. It was even more annoying at the moment, because it wasn't necessarily wrong. There _were_ scavengers who would do exactly as he suspected. But this was Ben, and it was hard to be genuinely angry at him.

Drawing a measured breath, Rey continued. "Some will waste their opportunity, but not all of them. And shouldn't they all at least have the chance to make a different choice? To improve their situation? Some will take it. They will escape this place. And some may stay and choose to use their new money to set up their own sales and trades. And at the very least, Plutt deserves to watch his tightly controlled reign crumble."

He watched her closely, monitoring both her expressions and her emotions. But this was fine with her. At least it allowed him to feel her intent.

Eventually, he nodded. "I can see this is important to you. And I confess, it does intrigue me. We might change the shape of this society, simply by preying on the Crolute's seat of power."

"Exactly," Rey said, grinning now. Her irritation from a moment ago faded, replaced by bright excitement.

"A single Nova crystal would be more than enough to buy anyone passage off this rock," he mused. "But I imagine your junk boss will not take lightly the disassembly of his garbage kingdom. Are you concerned he'll prey on the scavengers after we're gone?"

To this, Rey answered with a flashing glance and a conspiratorial smile. "Well, we'll just have to put the fear of the Force in him, so he never forgets who and what destroyed him, won't we?"

Ben's mouth twitched, tipping at the edges as the current between them swelled with amusement and admiration and deep, heated attraction.

"Hm," he hummed, pleased. "Your dark side is showing, Rey."

She scooped a handful of crystals and dumped them into her pocket, making a teasing show of ignoring this remark. "Come on. We've got work to do."

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Sorry I didn't get anything uploaded on Star Wars day! I meant to put this chapter up then, but life interrupted. Two years ago I celebrated by introducing a second smallish human into the world and now May the Fourth is always about her, and also Star Wars, but mostly her. We _did_ commemorate the occasion this year by getting tickets to SOLO, so I'm incredibly excited about that.

Also, I recently watched a Reylo/TLJ video called "In Defense Of The Last Jedi" on YouTube, by channel name _Movies with Mikey_. It's funny and perfectly articulates why I loved TLJ so much, and why I love Rey so much. He talks about how Rey's backstory is typical of a villain, which I had never thought of before but found highly compelling. I definitely recommend it, if you're interested!

Some comment responses:

 **lais89** : Hooray, you're here! I'm happy to hear from you :D

 **Gorec3** : Thank you so much! I'll try to update quickly, because I definitely know how it is to impatiently check your email for something. Thanks for your review!

 **Jeakat** : Haha holy smokes! That's a long time! I have to confess, it's been a while for me too. I had an account on here years ago, but I couldn't remember the login and the email I used back then is dead, so I had to create a new one a few months ago when I came back. Anyway, I'm very honored you resurrected your account for my stories :D Thanks for commenting!

 **Magali:** That is a super interesting theory. I've never heard it, but I'm incredibly intrigued. It would make sense for her parents to be stranded Imperials, destitute and boozy after being stuck for so long. It could also provide an explanation for Rey not being aware of her Force-sensitive nature for so long, if she accidentally used it to kill her parents and buried it so deeply inside her she forgot it even existed. Hmmm...fascinating! I may have to play around with that idea at some point. Thanks for commenting!

 **Anniemp** : Ahhhhhhhhh! I am definitely a Tolkein fan, so maybe that influence unintentionally shaped the formation of this idea. I didn't consciously decide to draw that parallel, but you're absolutely right with how well it fits. I'm actually excited about that :D Now I need to go back and read that scene. So epic.


	4. Chapter 4

**{Author's Note}**

* * *

So I know I said I probably wouldn't be doing any double chapter days, but guess what? I LIED. Or, I guess...I misjudged myself. I originally had 3 and 4 combined into one chapter, but it came in at almost 10k words and that seemed a bit excessive and out of character for my established pace, so I split it and you get both today! :D Hooray! It still probably wont happen that often, so we'll call this my penance for not uploading anything on May 4th.

Don't forget to leave a review. I love hearing from you guys!

xx

CHAPTER FOUR: Memories Old, Memories New

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

The work, they decided, could wait until morning. When Ben and Rey finally emerged from the cave, they were surprised to find the sun sinking low in the cloudless sky. Ben charged the Dead-Enders with guarding the base until he came back, perpetuating their eternal directive with all the confidence that they would follow through.

The two Force users picked their way through the wailing winds back down to the Falcon, still perched dangerously on its narrow ledge. They brought only a few of the valuables from the base with them, deciding to come back for more when they'd finished their business in Niima. As Ben breezed them away from the stark mountainside, Rey felt him reveling in the secret they now shared of the treasure buried in the rocks. And he was pleased about his plan, suddenly more interested in resuming control over the First Order now that he had an idea for what to do with it.

Soon. They'd get there soon.

But first, there was one more memory they had to dig up today. One more scab to pick open.

Rey dreaded it, but they both knew it was time. Night would fall soon, and though they could comfortably sleep on the Falcon, they didn't trust Plutt's thugs not to mess with the ship if they parked it at Niima until morning. Besides, it wouldn't be the close of day on Jakku if she didn't go home.

"You passed it," she remarked softly as they skimmed over a swath of unremarkable desert.

"I didn't see anything."

"Exactly."

In a wide arc, he turned them around and eased back on the throttle, slowing and descending enough that it was easier to scan the empty terrain. Empty to him, perhaps, but Rey recognized it. This had been her territory, and she had defended it as fiercely as her life. And there — half-buried beneath the sand, the fallen form of an AT-AT.

Feeling her flicker of recognition and needing no further instruction, Ben began his landing approach.

"You lived in that?" he asked, surprised and skeptical.

Rey nodded. She'd never seen it from the perspective of an off-worlder before, or anyone who had grown up in a real home. Just like Niima itself, it didn't hold up. Where it once struck her as a sanctuary, she now saw a sad trash heap. She swallowed.

Ben landed next to it, setting the Falcon down so gently Rey almost didn't feel it. The heady, rushed excitement of their discovery in the mountains was rapidly vanishing, replaced by apprehension and reluctance. Her home had been her most personal, most intimate, most lonely refuge. She had loved it, despite the sorrow she so often felt there. The last thing she wanted was to see it in a pillaged and ravaged state.

But she couldn't properly move on from this place without visiting it one last time.

The Force shifted around her, undulating with Ben's influence as he reacted to her nervous dread and wrapped his reassurance around her. She reminded herself what whatever they found out there, it wasn't her life anymore. This place had only been a waiting room, and the real truth of her existence began as soon as she left it. It wasn't important anymore.

The first thing she noticed when they walked down the ramp was something she'd never felt in all her time she'd lived here. The fabric of the Force. Attuned as she was to it now, she noticed for the first time how thin and wispy it was here. The great web of cosmic energy was sparse and stretched, only fortified now by the presence of the two powerful sources.

"The Force is faint because life is scarce here," Ben agreed. "It could be one of the reasons your abilities manifested so much later in life than usual. It would have been difficult for that seed to take root or grow out here. But what does exist is strong. Can you feel that?"

She could. The few errant strands of energy were sturdy and steadfast, imbued with the unbreakable determination to exist that emanated from all the living things on this dead world.

They moved towards the AT-AT and the entrance in its belly. In operation, it would have only been an auxiliary escape hatch, but for Rey it had been her main point of entry and exit. It looked undisturbed, but she didn't trust it.

"How old were you when you found this place?" Ben asked.

"Eleven, I think." Time was hard to keep track of. In Niima, they marked the year by the first of the boiling winds to come sweeping through. Rey had made a guess as to her age, based on the skeptical conjecture of one of her fellow scavengers, but she couldn't really be sure.

He took her hand, interlocking their fingers. He liked doing that, she had come to learn — found excuses for it more and more frequently. Rey didn't mind, mostly because it was Ben and anything he did that brought them into contact was breathlessly pleasant. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have tolerated it.

She led him to the auxiliary hatch. The lever had been more or less sealed closed by the wind and sand and disuse. Rey wondered how long it had been since anyone had tried to open it. She grabbed the lever and tried to pull. It didn't budge an inch. Even a few strong yanks were not enough to free it. Ben, with his much larger and admittedly stronger body, eased her aside so he could try. Giving it a mighty heave, he was rewarded with the squeal of metal grinding against metal.

Shouldering the protesting hatch open, Ben bent and ducked into the dark belly of the fallen war machine. Rey drew a deep breath, braced herself, and followed.

At first, she saw very little. The only light filtering in came from the hatch they now blocked. But as soon as they moved aside and her eyes adjusted to drink in the darkness, she became overwhelmed with emotion.

Everything was exactly as she'd left it. Like it had been waiting all this time for her to return home.

A pain in her throat and a pooling sensation in her eyes prevented her from taking stock of every single item, but her heart knew it all. Had known it for most of her life. Here she came face to face with herself, and it was as overwhelming as it had been when it happened in the sea cave on Ahch-To.

Ben looked around. His attention first turned to the scratches on the wall, filling the space with a long march of days, before it turned to the various trappings and fixings scattered about. She was too caught up in this blast from the past to monitor his reaction, but as she searched for an anchor to ground her before she floated away on the tides of memory, she gradually became aware of his quiet consternation.

Rey drifted forward, moving to the nearest of her old belongings and letting her fingers greet everything with a light touch. She'd never been the sentimental sort — if an item had more trade value than practical use, away it went. Still, she couldn't help feeling incredibly fond of all these things now that she was back among them.

"This was all yours?" Ben asked, even though he knew the answer. He seemed to be searching for something to say.

She nodded. "Just as I left it. I can hardly understand why no one has touched it in all this time."

"Perhaps your reputation endured, despite your absence."

His voice was not so near now, and she glanced to see him wandering among her things on the other side of the compartment. "I worked very hard on that reputation. If you're right, I did a better job than I ever imagined."

"You sound surprised," he mused, brushing his fingertips over the brittle, dried flower of a long-dead Night Blossom. Even under that delicate touch, some of it dissolved into powdery dust.

Watching him move about her deeply private sanctum, the one place where she knew she was safe, where nothing was allowed except her and what she chose to bring in, she was struck by other emotions which had nothing to do with the relief and nostalgia from a moment ago.

He bent and picked up a doll made from a rebel flight suit. It looked so small in his large hands. Rey resisted the urge to snatch it away from him, pretending to be interested in her old Y-wing computer simulator instead.

Ben considered the doll, brushing his thumb over it. His own thoughts were difficult to discern. He kept them carefully out of her perception.

He was too big for the space, she decided. His large, broad body took up more room than she had ever allocated to anything. Not unlike the space he occupied in her heart, actually. The surreal sight of Ben Solo exploring her home hit her full force, and her stomach gave a fluttery little turn. She swallowed and turned away.

"I see you mostly confined your living space to this compartment. What did you do with the others?"

"I didn't need much room. Some of it I turned into my workshop, for repairing parts before I sold them to Unkar. Some of it was just empty." She peeked again. He had discovered her hammock, and was observing its attachment to the ceiling — or rather, the side. It was tied to hooks originally meant for securing cargo.

"Your bed?" he asked.

"It's best to sleep off the ground. Gnaw-jaw bugs come out at night and chew on anything that appears to be dead. I didn't often get them in here, but sometimes."

He glanced at her heating plate, giving a nod of indication. "And was that your kitchen?"

"Yes."

His dark eyes roved over everything, taking it all in, and Rey felt embarrassed to have him see it. Even though she loved it, her home was shabby and ridiculous compared to everything he had ever known.

"It's not," Ben said firmly.

"It's not what?"

"Ridiculous." He turned to face her. Their movements had pulled them nearer now. "You were worried I think your home ridiculous. I don't."

She found herself caught in his endless stare. Yes, he was definitely too big for this place. "It's sheer squalor compared to your life."

"It's inventive and resourceful. It's exactly what you needed to be, and it suits you." A flash of cunning glinted in the night of his eyes, a spark of amusement as he added, "Like you, it's a little alarming and peculiar at first, but more and more intriguing upon closer inspection."

Absurdly, Rey felt herself blush and turn away. Sometimes Ben could be frustrating and dogmatic, insistent and severe, but sometimes he could also be so incredibly compassionate and gentle. He had always demonstrated both of these behaviors, which is why she'd been confused about how to feel towards him for so long, but lately he'd become much more the latter person towards her.

"It'll be dark soon," she hedged. "We probably shouldn't stay long."

"Do you want to sleep here?"

"No." It was the truth. She didn't want that, especially because there was nowhere for Ben to sleep and she wasn't about to willingly relive the experience of nights alone in this place, surrounded by the scratch of each and every empty day.

He accepted this without further argument, looking around again. This time his gaze caught on the rebel pilot helmet. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands and brushing the sandy film off the visor.

Again she felt the impulse to grab the thing away from him and hide it. Somehow, having him see and handle all these things felt unbearably intimate, like allowing him access to part of herself she'd never revealed to anyone. And although there was no one she trusted more, and indeed she _wanted_ him to see, it didn't take away the nervousness putting her very much on edge.

Sensing her tension, he handed the helmet to her. "How much is that worth?"

"Nothing." She hugged the object to her stomach, as if it could cover her, as if she could hide behind it. "The commlink is broken. I kept it because I liked it."

"You played games of pretend in it," he said, with altogether too much knowing.

She felt him browsing through her memories, and frowned. "I was a child."

Not entirely true...though she desperately hoped he wouldn't see _that_ particular fact.

"Rey, you don't need to defend yourself. I understand." He changed his mind and gently took the helmet from her once more. Instead of examining it further, however, he placed it over her head.

She peered out at him through a cloudy visor, the whole thing wobbling a bit on top of her crown. All the cushioning inside had dried and flaked out years ago, leaving it an ill-fitting shell. As a child it had been much too big, but even as an adult it gave the same impression.

Ben smiled one of his rare, full smiles. "There she is. The pilot hero of the rebellion. Fierce enemy of the Empire."

Through the dusty orange haze, she spotted her doll still in his possession, tucked into his belt, and was grateful the visor concealed yet another flush of heat that warmed her face. Why did he have that?

He stepped in nearer, forcing her to look up if she wanted to meet his eye. The helmet made her feel suddenly very childish, and she moved to hastily take it off. Ben's hands caught hers, however, and he firmly lowered them again. He removed the helmet himself, lifting it slowly, discarding it on a pile beside them. His dark eyes were warm and deep, glittering with a hungry gleam she had come to recognize. His hands found her waist, pulling her into him. She didn't resist, reveling instead in the feel of his firm hands just above her hips.

"You missed," he murmured, voice soft and low.

She frowned. "Missed?"

"Earlier. At the research base. You missed your mark."

One of his hands came to her chin, a featherlight touch tilting her face up and holding it in place. She shivered.

"Maybe I meant to miss," she gasped, finding both her words and her breath hard to manage.

He hummed in wordless reply, glancing down at her lips before he bent and kissed her, pressing pleasure and an erratic heartbeat through her with that single act. The raw edge to her emotions sharpened all at once, and everything she'd felt throughout the day came rushing to a frantic apex. All this peeling back of her layers, bit by bit, to uncover and confront the person she'd been before BB-8 and Finn showed up had left her exposed and eager for comfort. She wanted to drown herself in him.

Her hands found his face, splayed across his jaw and neck, pulling him in closer as she returned his attention in kind.

Ben pushed her back towards a wall. He'd kissed her that way once before, on the Falcon, and it had electrified both of them. He enjoyed the feeling of her trapped beneath him, and she couldn't deny she liked it just as much. Maybe trapped was the wrong word. Pinned between his huge, strong body and the unyielding barrier of a wall, she felt shielded. Protected.

"Always," Ben promised, whispering his answer to her intoxicated, scattered thoughts.

She growled, swallowing up anything further he might have said by covering his mouth with hers. But even that didn't quite vent the pressure building in her, so she used the wall as leverage and shimmied her legs up around his waist, pushing herself higher so that for once _he_ was craning to kiss _her_.

His hips rolled beneath her and he broke off to pant against her skin.

"Rey," he rumbled in a low, animalistic sound. Was it a warning? Or a plea?

She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled his head back. "You're thinking too much," she complained softly. "Just be with me."

He _was_ thinking too much. Despite the sheer instinct that drove them now. She could feel his thoughts struggling to grab hold of something, desire and doubt at war within his increasingly fevered mind.

"I need to stay on the ground," he breathed. "I need to be in control, so I can stop when you need me to."

"You will." She searched his black eyes, dilated and burning. Once, she'd feared him. Not anymore. Now she only trusted him, wholly and completely, with no caveats or reservation.

He detected this, and her trust triggered a tide of overwhelming love to rise up in him. He shuddered, returning now to their kiss with worshipful fervor. It was no small thing for him to know that she had perfect confidence in him. To Ben, it was everything.

Rey lost herself in this moment until he shifted tactics and left her lips in favor of her neck. He'd never done that before, and she wasn't quite prepared for how intense it would feel. Chills cascaded down her entire body. She gasped and tightened her fingers in his hair. He worked his way down her throat and back to her jaw, producing flashes of heat trailing behind his every touch. These turned her soft breath into something trembling and uneven, and transformed her body into jelly beneath him.

His hands slid around her, hugging her to him as he pulled away from the wall. Holding her like that, while she clung to him with wrapped arms and wrapped legs well accustomed to climbing and holding on, Ben effortlessly carried her across the little room. She could feel his own heart thrumming through his chest in a powerful, nervous cadence. He was as out of his element as she was. He too felt drawn to this crackling, dangerous energy like a live current sparking between them, and he too was afraid of it.

He laid her down on the hammock, glancing briefly up at the points he had earlier inspected. Rey followed his gaze. Her knots were practiced and strong. Plutt himself could sit on this hammock and it wouldn't go anywhere.

"It'll hold," she assured him softly.

He allowed himself to sit next to her, hip to hip, leaning over with hands on either side of her to support him as he bent and kissed her again, much more gently now. Soft and sweet and slow. Reluctantly, he pulled back, searching her gaze.

Rey caressed the edges of his face, fondly brushing his hair out of his eyes. But _stars_ , how she loved him. How strange and how right to have him here, in this world where she had so long waited for him. In this little home where she'd ached with isolation and incompletion, missing a part of herself she didn't know how to find. She'd been wrong to think he didn't fit here. He did. In fact, it was perfectly right that he should be in this home, looking at her this way, as if she'd never be alone again. As if she were the most important person in the whole galaxy.

"You are," he whispered, turning his head to press a kiss into her palm.

She tugged him back to her, impatient to lose herself in him again.

They kissed each other like that for a long time, at last willing to let themselves sink into this without fear of interruption or pressure to hide their activities. Nobody would bother them here. They could just explore all the sensations and emotions of this thing between them at their own pace. And when Ben returned to the sensitive areas of her neck and collar, Rey surrendered to the pleasure until her heart felt like it would explode. His powerful shoulders rolled beneath her hands as she dug into them, their shared mind spinning into a dizzying oblivion.

Being so covered in touch and sensation went against her instincts and challenged her on every level, and though she loved it and loved the surge of fire he induced in her, there arrived a point when it all got to be too much. Her body felt superheated, like a star on the verge of supernova, and she imagined herself teetering over an edge she wasn't ready to fall off yet. So she pushed him back, fighting for breath, transmitting her need to stop mentally since she couldn't find her voice.

Ben shuddered and drew back, fighting his own tide of desire. He sucked air like it was the balm to his fiery nerves.

Rey wriggled out from under his torso, sitting up. The shifting weight made the hammock sway, but Ben stopped that quickly with a foot firmly on the floor. She leaned forward and kissed him just one more time.

"I need some air," she whispered.

He nodded. "Me too."

She leapt lithely to the ground, feeling more than a little light-headed as she took his hand and looked around her old familiar home that felt somehow altered. An irrational urge to laugh fizzed to life inside her, and she stifled it. In all the years she'd lived in this AT-AT, she'd never imagined that one day she'd unexpectedly find herself making out with her mortal-enemy-turned-lover here. How absurd.

The place felt all at once too intimate, and she fled it, bringing Ben with her.

Evening had well and truly fallen now, turning the sky a lavender-gray and tinging the red sands purple. Finally the unbearable heat of the day was beginning to abate. Nights could sometimes be very chilly in the desert, and Rey felt the promise of it in the cooling breezes sweeping in from the east now.

She left Ben's side, hopping lightly onto the leg of the fallen mechanized beast and following it up to the shoulder. The sights and smells of the desert soothed the blaze of her body and mind, sweeping away a heavy fog of desire.

Some time ago, Rose had ventured with Rey into a conversation about the nature of physical intimacy. Rey hadn't wanted to talk about it, hadn't really wanted to think about it, and felt the day for such things was still far off for her. She still thought that, though it didn't seem quite so far as before. If she continued this way with Ben, especially if she let him do things like that, she knew the day would come. It was inevitable. And exciting. And terrifying.

So she comforted herself by deciding it wasn't happening soon. One day, but not yet. She needed to learn how to calm down and be okay with that kind of closeness. Just being with Ben was stimulating enough. This new thing where they kissed sometimes and held each other, it was perfect, but also right at the threshold of her tolerance. Much more than that caused her to short-circuit. She had to get over that if the day for more would ever come.

Her mind tingled with a familiar presence as Ben joined her, sitting down next to her on the edge of the AT-AT's upturned side.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, glancing at him.

"For what?"

"I know it's not easy to stop."

He gave her an odd look, his brow furrowing a little. "But it's not as hard as you think, either. Don't apologize for your feelings, Rey."

"I don't want you to think that I don't…" she found herself suddenly searching for words, the topic difficult to speak of out loud. "I don't want you to be disappointed."

"I'm not." He drew in a deep, cleansing breath. "Believe it or not, I didn't want to go on either. Not yet."

"You didn't?" That surprised her. He certainly _seemed_ like he wanted to go on. Then again…maybe not. He didn't try to do anything more than minister to her lips and throat. He didn't even let his hands wander. "I thought that men always want more."

"A misconception," he said, looking out over the desert as a slight smile quirked his full, now red lips. "Though I doubt many will admit it. You forget that this is all new for me too, and not something I ever intended for myself. I have my own psychological barriers to break down. And I want you to be comfortable at all times, so it suits me just fine to take it slow."

She didn't know what to say. This was…not what she'd expected, but given what she'd detected in him down there in the compartment, not that surprising either. He'd been as nervous as she was. It made sense now.

He continued distantly, as if considering. "Besides, what I feel for you is not tied to the physical. You know that, right? My soul is tied to yours, and everything else is secondary."

Rey leaned her shoulder into his, basking in the happy glow of affection and relief. Knowing he wasn't waiting around, frustrated at her shyness, did make her feel more confident about this new physical side of their relationship. Time would no doubt make it easier for both of them, and perhaps their bond would persuade them it was alright to cross that bridge eventually. But until then, they both understood each other and were content with what they had.

Was this really the same man who had threatened to take whatever he wanted on Starkiller Base?

"I didn't mean that," he said, voice suddenly steely. "I meant I could take whatever _information_ I wanted."

"I know," she said, laughing a little. "I mean, at the time it sounded much more threatening than that, but you made yourself clear soon enough."

He sighed. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know that too." The knowledge was clearer with hindsight, but even at the time she'd felt and been bewildered by his obvious reluctance. She rested her head against his shoulder, glad that they'd come so far since then.

Ben found one of her hands and played with her fingers. His gaze wandered out to the horizon where a ridge of shadows concealed a mountain full of treasure, and an army of half-dead men waiting on his command. Rey reveled in this knowledge, and in this closeness, which was much more valuable than any Imperial fortune.

They lapsed into comfortable silence, watching the sunset cast jeweled colors across the desert. A thought drifted through Ben's mind and into Rey's. For the first time since they arrived he, and then she, thought there really was a kind of wild, savage beauty amid the endless flow of sand.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE: The Messy Art of Change

* * *

 **Ben Solo**

* * *

Ben's extended stay in pseudo-captivity with the Resistance had led to a few discoveries between himself and Rey, both personal and mystical. Not only had it painstakingly worn down their defenses towards one another and forced them to acknowledge their feelings, it had also brought about the revelation that they could _share_ their Force strength and become one source of power. This allowed them to be stronger than either were individually. It also allowed them to hijack many minds at once, imposing their will on untested concourses of consciousness. They had managed to convince entire planets of First Order officers that they were seeing visions not truly there.

Operating successfully on that enormous scale meant they hardly broke a sweat now when melding together and infecting the minds of each and every Jakku scavenger scattered across the waste. They inserted the imperative to find all Interceptor parts possible and bring them to Niima tomorrow for barter. The scavengers did not feel this intrusion. They accepted it as merely a strong, intuitive feeling of their own.

When Ben and Rey resurfaced from this deeply intimate connection, they could only hope that their efforts would be rewarded the next day when they returned to Niima Outpost.

Rey let go of Ben's hands and smiled shyly.

Ben wanted to follow her off to where she'd set up camp in the Captain's Berth. Being in her mind like that, becoming one in thought and soul through the Force, always made him want to grab her and finish physically what was begun spiritually. But of course he didn't. Because nothing he'd said to her earlier had been a lie, and neither of them were ready. Much as the fantasy did plague him from time to time.

So he'd made himself be satisfied with a simple kiss tonight and gently but firmly pushed her away when she tried looking for more. Though she trusted him to keep his own physical urges firmly in check, Ben knew that such discipline was painful. It required him to ignore very strong feelings coursing through him, and that was its own kind of torment. He could do it, but he didn't need her soft and supple body bringing him any further temptation tonight.

Instead, he watched her retreat while he moved to the relief bunk in the main compartment. There were more suitable beds in the crew cabin, but he preferred to be in the open where he could more easily keep an eye on things. Night times had always been difficult for Ben, even before his uncle tried to murder him in his sleep. He was picky about where he lay his head, now. Tucked off in some quiet corner of the ship did not suit him.

He shed his belt, his doublet, his overshirt, stripping down to a simple tank top. Tucked into his clothes was Rey's doll, which he retrieved now and folded into his hand as he climbed onto the relief bed.

Ben settled in, staring out at the dimly-lit space where once his father had lived.

The Imperial research base still lingered in his mind, surreal and haunting. The relics of a once-glorious age, forgotten. Wealth left to fade in the dust, because those who once believed they were invincible had been wiped out. Somehow, the knowledge of that facility had not survived the rise of the First Order.

Or maybe it had, and Snoke had not seen it as anything significant to investigate. If so, he'd never bothered to let Ben in on the secret. That was…not impossible. The former Supreme Leader had manipulated him with copious amounts of rage and resentment, a tempting promise of dynastic legacy, and a dash of just enough information. If he thought the research base and all its resources had been destroyed, he'd have had no reason to send his wardog to it, or even mention it.

Still. Ben couldn't get the unsettling realization out of his head. The might of the Empire, buried in the earth, forgotten and wasted.

Well, no more.

He wasn't entirely certain he could claim true altruism as his motivation for rebuilding the broken pieces of the galaxy, because there was a strong selfish drive to rid himself of his personal guilt, as well as to seek a cleansing fresh start. A way to shed the past, both the light side and the dark, and become something new and whole again.

Restitution felt like the right step in that direction. So it was as much for him as it was for them, but he supposed that was good enough. No one was asking him to embrace true selflessness. No one was trying to make him into a Jedi Knight of false legend. And Rey, seeing the truth of his intent, didn't seem to take issue with it.

He let his thoughts drift to Poe and the new government, to Ben's promise to work _with_ the pilot rather than against him. He didn't want to tell Poe about this yet, though. First he would organize. He'd call together his architects and master strategists and convince them that this was part of some greater plot. He would have to dance carefully around the issue, presenting it from a place of control and domination rather than assistance and apology. Once they had a plan in place, perhaps then he'd let his counterpart in the new government know something of his intentions. Certainly he'd have to, before making any significant movements with his armada.

Ben was rarely more relaxed than when his mind had something to work on, so he let these mental machinations lull him into a reluctant doze. Once, he woke when Rey's doll began to slip from his softening grasp, and he tucked it into the crook of his arm instead, using his groggy mental faculties to check on her through the constantly humming psychic bond linking them. She was still awake, somewhere between relaxed and tossed in a sea of conflicting emotions about the whole day. He wondered if he should go to her. Comfort her. She wasn't good at being alone when she was all a jumble like that. But she wasn't far from sleep, and he himself had surrendered too much of his faculties to really act on his drowsy thoughts. So he let himself drift away again.

* * *

In the morning, he found Rey back in her AT-AT home. She had woken sometime before him, which was unusual. The sun hadn't fully crested over the eastern horizon yet, and the metal cavern contained a pocket of air several degrees colder than the chilly desert dawn. Rey was scratching an 'x' at the end of the last line of slashes. Ben didn't interrupt. He glanced around again at the dingy little space and once more marveled that she had managed to cobble together something so homey and pleasant out of something built for domination and destruction.

She really had a talent for it, didn't she?

When Rey had finished, she stood and turned to Ben.

"Good morning."

"Putting the final touches on your decor?"

She smiled a little. "Something like that. I'm laying to rest the memories here."

Ben nodded. He knew it wouldn't be so simple, but symbolic gestures did have healing power. Or destructive power. In Rey's case it was likely to be the former. He watched as she moved around the little space, setting things right, replacing items he had moved yesterday in his exploration. She thumbed through a few of the various ship and vehicle manuals she'd found throughout the years, the ones which had given her a working knowledge of most every kind of vessel there was. Not that she needed them now. Ben knew the information was stored in her head as securely as the archives of the Empire were stored in his own. Neither of them was inclined to forget.

"Will you help me close it up again?" she asked, turning and scooping up an armful of parts and tools.

Her eyes, grey-brown sometimes tinged with olive, had adopted a dark, silvery cast in the dim space. Yesterday, the change had struck Ben as rather childlike and vulnerable. Today, he found them both alluring and seductive, like deep, complex wells housing a lifetime of memories which would not be easily left behind her when they shut that hatch. The effect was striking.

"Ben?" she prompted.

He let his gaze break from that magnetic stare, falling to her lips instead. "Yes, I can do that."

She rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself, and led them back out into the desert morning. Once outside, she set down her objects and turned to pull the heavy door shut behind her.

"You don't intend to come back," Ben assessed after he'd forced the rusted lever back into place.

"I don't need to," Rey said with a little shrug. "I've made my peace. And made a pretty great new memory to bid goodbye."

The gleam in her eye made him smirk a little. He held out his hand, which she took, and together they walked back into the Falcon. He didn't believe they'd never come back, but if she needed to see this as her final farewell to her home, he wouldn't contradict her. The discovery of the Imperial base had created a reason to return to Jakku in the future, when they needed to collect the rest of the resources. But Ben didn't make that commentary right now.

"You're shivering," he offered instead.

The flimsy tank she'd worn to bed was not at all adequate for the frigid air of the AT-AT's interior. Nor was Ben's, for that matter, but he wasn't the one suffering from cold right now.

"I wanted to do some training," she explained, rubbing her free hand along her arm. "I'll warm up once I get going."

"Out here? Now?"

She laughed. "Well, I wasn't going to do it in the Falcon where I might break things. And yes, now. We don't need to head to Niima until later when the scavengers start bringing their haul."

"That's…true," Ben said slowly, frowning. He glanced at the empty landscape dubiously. He hadn't trained anywhere so remote since his earliest years with Luke, before they'd found and established a proper training temple. Since then, his practice sessions had involved complex systems of holo enemies, randomized projectiles, and well-trained sparring partners.

Rey laughed again, and the sound of it disrupted his skeptical chain of thought.

"You don't have to do it," she teased. "I was going to do it myself, anyway."

"I need to send some messages to the remaining generals." The ones who needed a firm reminder that they were obligated to comply with the rendezvous order. "But perhaps I'll join you after."

She accepted this, following him up the ramp and into the Falcon.

Once inside, she quickly retrieved her lightsaber and vanished again. Ben, meanwhile, moved over to the ship's main computer and began scanning for the comms channel he wanted.

It didn't take long, and soon he was transmitting his message, adopting a dark, cold tone as he warned each and every general, commander, and captain who had not yet acknowledged the rendezvous order that traitors would be hunted down and skewered through, after the manner of Armitage Hux, the mutineer. Of course that wasn't exactly how Hux had died, but Ben decided the truth would not serve his purposes as effectively as this. He again charged them with gathering at a specific coordinate in the Unknown Regions to regroup, and promised that the First Order was not finished.

By the time he completed his task, he was brimming with restless energy stoked to life by the mantle of leadership. Training actually sounded pretty good. So he retrieved his lightsaber and went back outside to find his other half.

It wasn't difficult. Two bright beams of blue-white light whirled and hummed through the dawn atop a small dune set a little ways behind the AT-AT. Rey herself was more shadow than flesh and blood as she conducted her deadly dance, lunging and pivoting and testing her movements with such precise abandon that Ben thought it looked rather freeing.

He watched her for a moment, too enthralled to disturb her right away. She gripped the long center piece between her twin saber beams the way she gripped her quarterstaff, except when she let go with one hand to use her forearm as a fulcrum for a more powerful arc. Ben had wondered, in the times they had trained with her new weapon, how she did not accidentally brush one of the beams against herself, especially when she had it behind her back like that. Two blades seemed like a lot to keep track of. But then, he didn't need to wonder. He knew how the crystals would attune to the Force of the wielder and together weapon and warrior would become one. He felt that with his own weapon.

Buzzing with excitement now, he headed up the dune towards her. She was too involved in her whipping and slashing and leaping to notice, so when he clicked his spewing broadsword saber to life and stopped one of her downward thrusts with his own, she looked thoroughly startled.

It only lasted a moment, though. A grin broke the surprise and a wicked gleam flashed over her countenance. She spun and struck at him. He parried. Ben swung down hard towards her, but she met him in a hissing clash of purple.

They'd only ever fought one another twice — once when they truly meant to kill one another — and once more when their joint training had finally required the use of their real weapons. The first time had lit fires inside them, of hate in her, of fascination in him. The second time, those fires had been stoked into raging blazes of desire.

Ben didn't know where they could go from there, or what this third fight might bring, but he knew it was satisfying on a soul-deep level. Sparring with her required precision and focus, so as not to hurt her or be hurt by her. They didn't truly unleash on each other, but committed with enough rigor to require careful maneuvering.

Soon both were drenched in sweat and clamoring for breath. Ben watched her chest heaving, himself burning alive with heat that was both from exertion and attraction. But still she came at him, and still he was forced to fend her off, until all at once she shut off her lightsaber and launched herself at him. For one perilous instant, he moved as if to block her with his weapon, but realized she was unarmed just in time and shut it off before it could slice through her.

She landed on him with a thump and he reeled, trying to stay upright in the shifting sands beneath his feet. It was no good, and he went down. He had hardly registered this new prone position when her lips met his, hungry and fevered, searching for another outlet to her own boiling desires. Too surprised to do much else, he let his body respond automatically until his brain could catch up to this unexpected situation.

The sand wasn't exactly comfortable, but Ben didn't care. Rey had him pinned and was doing what she wanted, which right now was a thorough investigation of all his mouth had to offer. A rumble of pleasure thundered through his chest. He wanted to touch her, but he didn't know where, so he let her take the lead.

"You're hot as hell, Ben Solo," she growled into his ear as she began to nibble on it.

Ben laughed. "I'm not sure where to start with that. That we're on the planetary equivalent of hell, that this body heat is your fault —"

"Shh," she said, kissing him again to stop the tumble of words. "You talk a lot, you know that?"

Instead of saying anything further, he let his hands move up her legs on either side of him, tracing them to her waist. She shuddered, humming her approval into his mouth.

Ben had kissed before. It was long ago, before Snoke and all that came after. And it had been exciting, in that childish way, to share a sweet, chaste kiss with the padawan girl he'd had a shy crush on. But it was nothing like what possessed him now. Nothing like the instant reaction that had been born the first time he'd kissed Rey. This was deep and ardent and galaxy-altering. It made the Force around them swirl like river rapids. Not that either of them was particularly paying attention to the movements of the Force, though Ben did note the shift dimly in his peripheral perception. Most of his mind was occupied with Rey, and how _good_ it felt.

Finally she sat up, gasping for air and laughing. "You're covered in sand."

"Mm." He could feel it sticking to every part of his sweaty body. "Again, that's your fault."

"Guilty." She brushed a finger over his lips. "I guess I just got a little worked up."

"You're not the only one." Ben reached up to play with some of her hair that had come loose in the rigorous training. As unpleasant as it was to be half-buried in cool, coarse grit, he rather liked this situation. He felt quite content as her prisoner.

But that couldn't last, apparently. She looked up and squinted. Ben's mind traveled along with hers as she calculated the speed of a lumbering four-legged creature carrying a rider across the desert in the distance.

"Do we have company?" He propped himself up on his elbows to take a look.

She shook her head. "It's a Teedo. He doesn't know we're here, and he isn't headed this way. But he's dragging something behind that luggabeast. Is it too naive to hope it's Interceptor parts?"

Ben glanced at her with a raised brow. "We didn't target Teedos last night. How would they know?"

She shrugged. "Teedos always know."

Their gazes lingered on one another in a moment of indecisive silence. Both were tempted to extend this pleasurable engagement for a little while longer, but they also sensed they'd arrived at the natural end of it and needed to get on with their day.

Finally Rey climbed off him and extended her hand. Ben missed the weight of her against him as soon as it was gone. Pushing this thought aside, he let her help him up. They summoned their discarded lightsabers and headed back to the Falcon.

Ben used the refresher first, ridding himself of the irritating sand and his stoked desires under a barrage of cool water. When he was dry, dressed, and his hair had been set right again, he emerged and focused on getting the food out while Rey took her turn cleaning up. He tried not to think about her, but Ben knew he was about as lovesick as they come, and all the discipline in the world couldn't stop his mind from running over every aspect of her lithe, athletic body in the memory of her tackling him.

He sighed. It was easier when they had things to do to keep him busy.

When she returned to the main compartment, she settled down next to him to eat. In doing so, she produced one of the Nova crystals and fiddled with it throughout their meal, observing the way its little rainbows shimmered in the air around it.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Ben asked her when she paused her systematic devouring. She always ate like that. He wondered if she'd ever get to the point when she could be calm and methodical about food.

"Yeah, I think so." She glanced at him. "And when it does? Do we go back and fix up your ship, first? Or has our discovery made it more important to get back to the First Order directly?"

Ben didn't have a ready answer for her. He _did_ feel more pressure to hurry to the rendezvous sooner than he planned, but that was only the impatience to get started. Besides, he wasn't sure showing up in the infamous _Millennium Falcon_ would do great things for his reputation. The _Silencer_ would be a more appropriate ship for the Supreme Leader to use. But then, Rey couldn't come with him. It had room for one. Perhaps they'd need another ship to get them there, and then the _Silencer_ could be his personal craft.

So many puzzles.

"Ask me again at the end of the day," he decided.

After finishing their meal, they decided to go to Niima and intercept whatever scavengers might start trickling in throughout the day.

Ben took a seat in the co-pilot's chair, giving command over to Rey once more. He did not respond to her questioning glance as she slid into the captain's seat. Chewie had given the ship to her, and Ben felt reasonably certain his father would prefer it this way. Even in their better days, Han had been guarded about how far into his world he allowed Ben to venture. Rey was like Han, though. A rough-and-tumble orphan forged in the fires of an unforgiving society, used to doing whatever it takes to survive. He would have let Rey into any and every part of his dishonest life, and he would have wanted her to take his place after him.

Ben was alright with it. Slowly, slowly, he was finding peace with his father's memory.

Rey glided away from her home, taking them towards Niima Outpost.

* * *

The moment the Falcon touched down, masked thugs with clubs and crude weapons surrounded it. Rey informed Ben that these were Plutt's creatures, no doubt come to apprehend them.

"Is there no law enforcement in this place?" Ben asked with mild disdain. "Or does the Crolute run that too?"

"Constable Zuvio isn't so bad," said Rey. "But yeah, in the end he does kind of answer to Unkar. Everyone here does."

"Well," he sighed. "That changes today."

They descended the ramp and together emitted twin blasts of invisible energy, sending all the thugs flying backwards and tumbling into the sand.

Ben smirked. He quite enjoyed having a partner in the Force.

Unmolested now, they closed up the Falcon and headed to Plutt's concession stand. He noticed activity in the bazaar shifting around them, changing from how he'd perceived it yesterday. No one had paid attention to them before, but now everyone stopped to watch as they passed. Gossip began in whispered waves, undulating in their wake. Creatures in all their variety began to drift after the pair, aware now that they had mystical powers and eager to see how that would unfold for Plutt.

Rey had changed too. Yesterday she was jumpy and distractible, caught up in memories and nostalgia and feelings of inadequacy. Today she was determined and full of purpose. Ben saw that familiar glint of steel in her gaze. She was ready to leave her permanent mark on this place, to match the permanent mark this place had left in her.

Ben swept forward beside her, ignoring everyone with a kind of external austerity that made them all squirm with inferiority. He knew how to intimidate underlings without uttering a word or meeting their eye, and he enjoyed it.

Plutt's thugs had recovered and now ran ahead of them, weaving through the complex of tents and vendors with the practice of shadows. No doubt they were hurrying to warn their master of what was coming. Rey didn't worry about this, so Ben didn't worry about this. When they arrived at the concession stand, the Crolute was waiting.

"You're back," he snarled from behind the safety of his cargo crawler's window grate.

Ben had dealt with this species before, but he'd never found any of them as decidedly revolting as Unkar Plutt. Everything about him was repulsive. He loathed that Rey had been more or less raised under this puss-filled pimple's callous eye.

"I am back," said Rey. "And I'm here to do business."

"Good girl," Plutt crooned, smiling that nauseating smile.

Rey returned one of her own, though there was ice in it. "But not with you."

That big saggy face screwed up in displeasure. "Are we going to have a problem here?"

"That's up to you."

Ben turned his back to the Crolute and kept an eye on the thugs. With the masks, it was impossible to discern their intentions through facial expressions. Fortunately Ben was well practiced at dealing with faceless troops, and he knew to monitor their moods. Right now, they regarded the pair warily. Each was hoping Plutt would not order them into a fight against wielders of mysterious voodoo magic.

"We're going purchase directly from the source today, Unkar," Rey was explaining calmly. "And you're not only going to allow it, you're not going to punish those who sell to us after we've gone."

Plutt sneered while his pinkish skin turned several shades darker. "And why would I do that, girl?"

"Because we'll be back, and we promise to do to you anything you do to them. We keep our promises, Unkar."

A hideous, hacking, garbled laugh erupted from that gelatinous body. "You've got some serious Knockback in those veins of yours, haven't you? Got yourself a guard dog and now you think you makes the rules around here?"

Ben heard one of Rey's lightsaber blades ignite, and he turned to see if she was about to put it through the huge body of the Crolute. That would have been satisfying, and Ben wouldn't have stopped her. But she didn't do that. Instead she dragged it along the edges of the cage around his window. The protective barrier between himself and his enemies fell away with a clatter, its connection points melted and glowing.

"I don't need or have a guard dog," Rey told him, leaning forward and tipping her blade into his personal space. "I can handle you all by myself."

The thugs had all fallen back a step at the sight of the weapon. Ben decided to ignite his own, moving towards them and sweeping the red blade in an arc before him.

They scattered back with squeals and grunts of terror. Ben reveled in it. Frightening them felt so good.

With Plutt cowed into sudden silence and the thugs thoroughly subdued, all they had left to do was wait. So wait they did.

Rey turned and stood with her back to Plutt, extinguishing her lightsaber and watching for scavengers. Meanwhile Ben prowled around the edges of the area, deterring any Plutt loyalists from acting. The spectators from the bazaar had gathered around, but they hung back, afraid of Ben's patrolling and the crackling blade he wielded.

"So, you think you're an Anchorite now?" Plutt asked acidly after a half hour of silence.

Rey glanced back at him. "I am what the Anchorites aspire to. What they worship — and fear."

No further words were exchanged, but Ben felt that the tension had ratcheted another notch.

One by one, the scavengers began arriving. Ben shut down his blade so as not to scare them away, but watched for thugs who might decide to intercept them on their way in. Fortunately no one showed such initiative. Plutt had hired muscles, but clearly not brains.

The scavengers came with mechanical haul which Ben himself could not recognize, but the ripple of satisfaction flowing from Rey told him these were the right bits.

She strode forward when they looked around uncertainly.

"I'll be the one buying your wares today," she announced. "The Blobfish is taking the day off."

Plutt turned a mottled shade of purple now, radiating with waves of pure hatred. Ben watched him struggle to contain his silence, but his gaze kept flicking to the lightsaber on Rey's belt.

The scavengers glanced at one another and then at her. They were nervous. This turn of events had caught them off guard, and Ben could feel their wariness as they shifted their attention from Rey to Plutt, then back to Rey.

"You're…that girl…" one of them said slowly.

"Yes, you know me." She stepped towards the one who spoke. "Strunk. It's me. Rey."

He didn't look convinced, but didn't shrink back.

She motioned to his loot. "Show me what you have?"

The Abednedo moved aside and let her pick through the pieces. She examined them for quality and cleanliness, discarding the ones that didn't meet her standard.

"I'll take all of these," she said, waving at the good ones, "in exchange for this."

An audible gasp ran through the throng of spectators, scavengers, and Blobfish as she produced one of the Nova crystals. In full sunlight, it dazzled like a shard of star.

"And those," she motioned to the less desirable parts, "in exchange for three portions."

The Abednedo's two tiny eyes widened to impossible size and he gaped.

"Strunk," she prompted, holding her hand out with the tiny illuminated stone. "Take it. This will be enough to buy your way to any part of the galaxy you want to go."

He took it, slowly and reverently, glancing at her again with a flash of distrust and fear.

"No one will take it from you," Ben assured him from the other side of the clearing. "It is yours."

"And there is more for anyone who has Interceptor parts to sell," Rey said a little more loudly.

Suddenly all the scavengers pressed forward at once, fighting for their turn to be next. Strunk clutched his crystal and his portions to his chest and backed away, still looking utterly dumbstruck.

Ben let Rey handle the purchase of items. He kept his attention trained on the others. Plutt, in particular, began to emanate greed as he watched the subsequent transactions take place and more and more pieces of light disappeared into the hands of his slaves. He lifted his commlink to issue orders to his thugs, but Ben anticipated him. Throwing out his hand, he summoned the commlink right out of Unkar's grasp.

The Crolute looked at him in outrage. Ben tucked the instrument into his pocket and returned with a shrewd glare.

 _I see you_ , he thought at the gelatinous creature. _I know your type._

For the rest of the day, Plutt was forced to watch as word spread and more and more came to sell what he would not. Towards the evening, the majority arrived, and all left with varying degrees of astonishment, glee, and disbelief. Rey's pile of parts had grown quite large, and Plutt's despair had risen to a fevered pitch.

"I'll sell you the parts, girl!" he finally cried out, unable to contain himself any longer. "These are garbage compared to what I have. You can have my whole supply in exchange for the rest of your crystals."

"No deal," Rey called back without looking at him. "Conditions have changed. I have everything I need here."

"I'll kill you," he seethed, desperation turning to rage now. "I'll kill you and everyone who sold to you."

He disappeared from his cargo crawler and a moment later emerged in the clearing, clutching a blaster.

"No one cheats me," he snarled.

The Force swirled around Ben in a powerful cyclone, charged with his deadly vengeance, and lashed at the Crolute with winds of fury. Ben yanked him to the ground hard and crushed the blaster, striding towards him, igniting his saber.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he became aware of the crowd gasping and drawing back, and of Rey turning to watch without any intention of stopping him. But these were only cursory observations. His focus remained entirely on the writhing mass of Crolute flesh in the sand as Plutt tried to roll to his feet but was held in place by the great press of the Force.

Ben swept his lightsaber down and pointed it directly at Plutt's chest.

He froze. His tiny eyes flicked up in fear and horror and hate.

"You will address her with respect," he said mildly. The smooth, calm delivery contradicted the fatal potential of this moment, as he knew it would. It cast an unnerved shiver through the onlookers, and through his enemy on the ground.

"You will call her by her name," he continued. "And you will leave each and every scavenger alone. Do you understand?"

Plutt didn't move.

Ben traced a line down the Blobfish's chest with the blade, searing a burn track into his flesh. Plutt roared and lashed his head back and forth.

For all the ways he'd changed and turned from darkness, for all the good he intended to do now, Ben had to admit, this felt good. It satisfied the darkness in him. It scratched an itch nothing else quite could. He enjoyed watching his enemies writhe in agony and look at him in awful terror.

He savored Plutt's pain and fear and returned his lightsaber to just directly hovering above him. "I asked if you understood."

"I understand," Plutt growled.

"And her name?" Ben said lightly.

"She doesn't have one. It's just 'girl.'"

Ben transferred the point of the blade to the Crolute's mechanical arm and cleanly sliced through it, severing it at the shoulder. "Looks like you'll need a new one of those. I don't imagine they're cheap. Care to try again before I remove the flesh one as well?"

Plutt howled in rage.

Ben backed up. "On your knees."

Slowly his enemy wobbled and rolled and heaved himself into a kneel. It couldn't have been at all comfortable, all that weight supported on his two tiny knees. Still, he knelt. Ben motioned Rey forward.

She came, standing before Plutt, staring down at him with a look Ben recognized. She'd given it to him once, except for him her regret and resignation had been tinged with compassion. For Plutt, she had only coldness.

Ben held his lightsaber behind that bulbous head. "What is her name?"

Plutt sneered, but dared not deliver another protest.

Ben stepped forward and held the tip of the lightsaber just close enough that the back of Unkar's head began to smoke and char.

"Agh! Rey! It's Rey!" he squealed, leaning forward, away from the heat.

"I didn't hear that," Ben insisted.

"Her name is Rey." Plutt looked around at the spectators. They were watching with horror, and growing disdain.

Ben motioned for his counterpart. She, already in his mind and already aware of his plan, moved away from her oppressor and joined Ben. She ignited her lightsaber.

With Ben on one side, and Rey on another, they dragged their weapons slowly through the side of cargo crawler, pulling molten metal down in two parallel lines, turning what was once a window into a gaping doorway. The concession stand yawned open, revealing its valuable contents, its supply of portions, yielding up its symbolic power.

The onlookers and scavengers murmured and shifted, glancing at one another, astonished and restless.

Rey turned around to face them. "I know what this means to you. Some of you are afraid of what will happen from here. Some of you will use what we've given you to leave. It is a good choice. But those of you who choose to stay, I challenge you to resist anyone who tries to establish his authority over you. Be your own agents, your own brokers, your own dealers. Sell to the offworlders. Take charge of your own destinies. Don't let him—"

Ben pointed at Plutt for her with his broadsword.

"—or anyone," she continued, "be your master again."

They moved aside and let a flow of scavengers sweep in after them, entering the cargo crawler.

Rey, deciding she was finished with this place, began to gather all their newly acquired parts into a net given to her by Strunk, who had come back with others.

Ben turned to Plutt. He extinguished his blade. "You're done."

Plutt stared at the sand, unmoving, unspeaking. Resentment boiled in him, but it was tempered by defeat.

"Remember what she told you. Whatever you to do them, we do to you."

Not that it mattered much anymore. Plutt's power had been stripped away from him. Seeing him so controlled had made the denizens of Niima give up their fearful respect of him. They knew it, Ben knew it, and most importantly, Unkar Plutt knew it.

Seeing that their work here was done, Ben left the ruined creature to his humiliation and joined Rey. He didn't know why she was bothering to do it all by hand, and simply lifted the pile with a mild flex of the Force.

"Right," she said with a small, tired laugh.

The net full, Ben lifted it again and glanced at her. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." She looked at the swarm of activity now buzzing through the clearing as scavengers, tinkerers, handlers, and the rest picked the cargo crawler clean. "I hope we did the right thing here."

"Doesn't it feel like the right thing?" Ben knew his moral compass had a tendency to swing around a bit, depending on where he deemed right. But this felt right to him. It felt like the necessary surgery before proper healing could begin.

Rey nodded. "It does. I just wonder if they'll use what we gave them the right way."

"We'll be back," Ben assured her. "We'll provide aggressive redirection if we need to."

This coaxed a laugh out of her, and she relaxed. "You're right. Let's go."

As they headed away from the clearing and back towards the Falcon, Rey glanced behind her once. Ben knew Plutt was still watching her go, and he knew Rey swirled with conflicting emotions at all that had transpired. She feared how much Ben had enjoyed his little power play, she appreciated what he had done for her, she reveled in satisfaction that her oppressor had finally, _finally_ acknowledged her identity, and she regretted that the creature who had kept her alive for so many years had been so corrupt as to require such a harsh lesson.

Ben would have liked to comfort her, but he didn't quite know how. So instead he Force-carried their new belongings and said nothing, imbuing her with his reassurance that he was still with her, that he understood.

When they lifted off and skimmed away from a now radically changed Niima, they faced a galaxy of possibility.

"Are you alright?" Ben asked as blue atmosphere gave way to the infinite expanse of space.

She exhaled a long, slow breath. "I think so. Thank you. For…for fighting for me."

To this, he said nothing. He didn't need to. She knew he'd do it again.

Rey turned to him, gaze falling to his lips, a little smile tipping her own. Her soul stirred with love, and his answered.

"So," she said. "Where are we going?"

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Sorry if this one is full of typos and errors! I'll comb through it more carefully later today, but I just wanted to post this quick update before a teensy pause. I'm off on a dive trip tomorrow and will be gone for a week. I might write during my downtime there, but I don't anticipate having access to much internet so I probably wont post anything until after the 22nd.

Thanks for your reviews! You guys are fabulous! See you in a week :D

engineerwenlock, I'm stoked to see you! Thanks for popping by.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX: Promises Not Broken

 _"But we by a love so much refined,_  
 _That our selves know not what it is,_  
 _Inter-assured of the mind,_  
 _Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss._

 _Our two souls therefore, which are one,_  
 _Though I must go, endure not yet_  
 _A breach, but an expansion,_  
 _Like gold to airy thinness beat."_

 _-John Donne, A Valediction_

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

Dumb Ben and his dumb plan.

Rey wasn't in a great mood when she set the Falcon down onto the landing platform amidst the rough buffets of wind sweeping over Naboo. A dark sky laden with ominous storm clouds seemed to suit her disposition well as she automatically clicked through the shutdown procedure. She should have been eager to return here, considering the people she intended to see, but the manner of this visit wasn't what she wanted.

"We promised," she'd protested in the early hours after Jakku when Ben revealed his plan.

"This isn't breaking that promise," he assured her. "That was about taking divergent paths. This isn't that. It's just temporary."

"Neither of us are good alone."

"It's a more efficient use of our time. We'll work simultaneously to get the ship of progress moving."

"Ben…" she groaned, burying her face in her hands. She didn't want flowery imagery about this new plan of his to heal the galaxy's wounds — though she was on board, she didn't expect it to seize him with sudden ferocity and urgency. They had time. They had all the time they wanted.

Seeing images flitting through her mind of their original plan, of the moon and the ruined ship, Ben shook his head. "The _Silencer_ can wait. We can go back there after we've set things in motion. I won't have to supervise every step. I still want to go there with you, and I still intend to fix my ship, but help me do this first."

The logic of his argument annoyed her further, because she didn't have an adequate rebuttal that didn't sound childish and selfish. He wanted to help people. It was everything she'd ever wanted from him. And yet — not like this. She didn't know it would require them to separate, however temporarily. Her own clinginess made her feel juvenile and weak. It was unbearable. She wanted to throttle herself for being so irrational. She'd done just fine without him before he showed up, and he certainly could handle herself and the mission he set down for her without him.

But she'd been alone all her life and now that she wasn't, the thought of doing it again brought back feelings of ache and panic.

"Rey," he said more gently, pulling her into his arms where she trembled with an old familiar dread. He made her look at him so she could see the naked truth in his face. "I am not leaving you."

She wanted to believe him, and while her brain knew this was a ridiculous overreaction to a perfectly reasonable plan, her heart was convinced this was another abandonment. _They_ had told her they would be back too.

"Rey," he growled, gripping her tighter. "Stop that. You know me. You can see into my secret motivations. Do that now and see that it's utterly impossible for me to do that to you."

She didn't need to push into his mind to know. She felt it humming between them already, this intense connection they'd begun to call love but that moved on deeper, more mystical currents than the typical brand of romance.

And she knew that Ben was nervous about this separation too. He harbored his own trepidation about what kind of man he might discover in himself without her tempering influence.

When her silence and reluctance stretched on, she felt his resolve beginning to crumble.

"If you ask me to stay, I will." It had been his promise to her long ago, even when he knew she couldn't hear it, and he would keep it now. But Rey knew that she wouldn't ask. He was right, after all, and this temporary division wasn't a breach of that promise. "I know you don't like it, but please, trust me."

She nodded, pulling out of his grasp, letting a long, slow sigh escape her. This was the closest they'd come to a real argument in a long time, though there was no venom in it. And Rey had lost.

"Alright," she said, shoving down the protestations of the frightened child in her heart. She knew how to pretend to be strong when she felt afraid. She'd do that now, for him.

Which was why she now found herself emerging alone from the Falcon into a ravaged city ill-prepared for the stormy season which gave life to its generous green landscapes.

Dumb.

It was all just dumb.

And it required an enormous level of trust which, though she was willing to give, made her feel entirely too vulnerable. It provoked an extra surge of angry energy which drove her through the unloading of a heavy box of crystals and waddled awkwardly with it into the hangar where she was met by Inez, a young teenage rebel in the service of Leia. The moment Rey saw her, she knew what that meant about Leia's recent activities.

"She's here, then?" Rey asked, sighing and setting her box down.

Inez grinned. "Are you surprised?"

No. No she wasn't. After Rey had set down her burden, Inez whisked them off to see the supposed-to-be-retired general. She wasn't at the beautiful country estate where Rey and Ben had left her to convalesce and relax. But then, of course she wasn't. Ben himself had been the one to predict that his mother wouldn't be able to bear idleness for long.

Leia Organa operated and conducted herself right in the thick of the restoration effort, organizing construction strategies and seizing command from city officials overwhelmed by the monumental task ahead of them. She looked intense and full of purpose — just as Rey knew her best. She wore fine robes and sported greying brown hair braided into an ornate-but-practical knot on her crown. Regal, yet modest, and as elegant as ever. Once again, she'd managed to strike just the right tone with her appearance, somewhere between stylish and commanding.

Ben had inherited the instinct for sending messages through aesthetics from his mother, Rey mused.

Inez made Rey wait while she went to give Leia the message of Rey's arrival.

Young, sweet Inez. For a short time, she'd been the only friendly face left amidst a sea of hostility. She, who had stood guard outside Ben's locked room and inspected Rey for transferred weapons before and after every encounter, yet was always full of a cheerful disposition. She, who had entertained a shy crush on Ben and wasn't ashamed to acknowledge the evil Kylo Ren's attractiveness. She, who had hero-worshipped Leia and fearlessly volunteered for a bloody war.

Somehow she'd come through it with her beautiful optimism and easygoing attitude intact. She didn't act like one who had been involved in the wreck that destroyed Leia's personal ship. She didn't carry the solemnity one might expect from a savior of many refugees fleeing the city of Theed as it became the epicenter of a bloody battle. Rey could feel the waves of excitement and jovial humor radiating from the girl's mind. Yet Rey didn't have to peek inside to know that her naivety was gone. Inez had indeed seen the cost of the war, but she hadn't let it take her joy.

Leia laid an affectionate hand on the girl's shoulder and responded with a quick nod, then turned back to her awaiting counselors.

Inez trotted back.

"She'll be with you in a moment. Finn arrived a few hours before you did — do you want me to go get him?"

Rey nodded, heart leaping with relief. "Yes, thank you!"

Inez ambled off, and Rey fidgeted while she waited for Leia to finish. Her gaze swept over the view from the window. Once a hotel, this building had now been converted into a makeshift city center while they figured out how to restore the First Order base back into the municipal district containing all the government buildings for Theed and Naboo in general. Outside, a half-destroyed city sprawled in various stages of reconstruction.

Maybe some of the scavengers they'd paid would come here. Maybe they'd salvage the mechanical detritus around Theed and pick clean all the ships that had come down. Where there was war, there was parasitic industry. Buyers would come to find an advantage in the horror that had happened here. Hopefully it would boost the economy and help this place rebuild.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" A warm, dusky voice said from beside her.

Rey turned to find Leia's profoundly dark eyes on her, welcoming and maternal.

She couldn't stifle the sigh of relief that escape her, and Rey felt herself practically falling to Leia's fond embrace. The other woman's arms seemed to flow with a soothing balm which seeped right into Rey's discontented heart.

"How are you?" Leia murmured.

"I'm good." It was true enough. As they parted, Rey lifted her brows in a teasing expression of disapproval. "Leia, this isn't where we left you. I thought you were retiring?"

Leia laughed. "Well, they asked if I could help, and how could I say no?"

"Yeah." Rey didn't buy it. "You were bored."

"I was," Leia conceded with a grin. "So, what have you been up to? I didn't expect to see you so soon. Aren't you following my instructions? You should be far too busy for a visit."

"We are following your instructions! And we…are busy, I guess," Rey began, trying to decide how much information to present to Leia about Ben's galaxy-saving plan.

"Does that mean Ben is back with the First Order?" There was a tiny hint of anxiousness in the question, which was not lost on Rey. Though Leia herself had given Ben the mandate to return to the position of Supreme Leader and dismantle the corrupt organization, she still worried the temptation might be too much for her son. Rey couldn't blame her, though things that not worked out that way.

"Not yet, but that's where we are headed. He's actually on Pamarthe."

"Pamarthe?" Leia blinked, not bothering to conceal her puzzlement. This amused and validated Rey, as she'd had the same reaction when Ben revealed his plan. "Why, in the whole galaxy, would he be on Pamarthe? Unless he's looking for a pilot?"

"That's exactly what he's doing," Rey sighed. "Even though we're both perfectly capable of flying anything we want ourselves. But he says its for appearances' sake. Does that make sense?"

"If he's doing it in anticipation of his return to the First Order, then yes, I suppose it does. I could have sent him with one of mine, though," Leia mused. She motioned for Rey to follow her and they picked their way through the repurposed hotel.

"He wanted someone not associated with the Resistance or the First Order. Someone with no history in this war."

"Smart." Leia nodded slowly. She opened the door to what was once a residence room, now sporting all the trappings of a proper office. Leia indicated her towards a long, curved couch beside a window. "He'll need to make his return a show of strength. Having a pilot and an honor guard is part of that. Is that why Finn arrived this morning with a squad of stormtroopers?"

"Yes," Rey said as Leia sat next to her.

"And you came here because we still have a couple _Upsilon_ -class shuttles left in the First Order hangar?"

This intuitive prediction of their whole plan astonished Rey into speechless nodding. Leia's tactical mind had already leapt through all the steps of this whole procedure. Then again, Rey shouldn't be surprised. The rebel heroine, leader of the Resistance, senator of old and new republics, would surely know as much about the theater of power as her son. Perhaps he had even learned much of it from her, before Snoke and his sinister lessons.

Leia smiled, patting Rey's hand. "It's a good plan. Well done, both of you. So where are you meeting after you retrieve the troops and the shuttle?"

"Um," Rey hedged, scrambling to catch up. "Canto Bight. He needs to arrange some affairs there, but he's being a bit vague about it so I'm not certain what, exactly."

Leia didn't try to guess. She simply sat back with a kind of pleased, satisfied smile. "I'm impressed. For a moment I wondered if you two would run off and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves while you buried yourselves in Force learning."

"That idea certainly has its appeal," Rey admitted, thinking of the annoyance of now being away from Ben and feeling that a part of her was missing too. "But I think you underestimate him. I'm not sure I could have convinced him to do that if I tried."

"No? You don't think so? I do." Leia laughed. "I very much think you could have. But that's alright. This is better. So, what do you need from me, besides convincing the city counsel to let you take that shuttle?"

Rey smiled. "Well I'd hoped to find you still in the Lake Country, but since you have more clout with them than I do, I think that would be more than sufficient help. And if I could stay with you tonight…?"

"Of course you will. You think I'm going to make you spend the night on the Falcon? It's comfortable, but not _that_ comfortable."

"Thank you." Rey surged with pleasure at the flow of maternal affection radiating from Leia. Her words of gratitude felt inadequate, and wished for something a bit more meaningful to say.

Sensing this, Leia laughed lightly once again. "We'll have plenty of time for sentimentality tonight, my girl. Right now I have to meet with a Gungan emissary to figure out how we can solicit their help in this restoration effort. They won't be eager. Relations have soured between the Gungans and the Naboo have soured again — it's an endless cycle and you know what? I wont bore you with the details. Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I'll have Inez take you to get some food. Then you can inspect Finn's troops. I'll let you know when I've convinced the council to let you take a shuttle."

"Actually — I have something I need to do first. Can you have Inez meet me in the hangar again?"

"Hmm…mysterious. Certainly, I'll send her to you there." Leia's dark eyes dazzled with amusement and interest.

Rey knew this would come up again later, when Leia wasn't so pressed for time. When a knock on the door revealed C-3PO, and the familiar golden protocol droid announced the Gungan emissary's arrival, Rey quickly took her leave. This evening would be interesting. Leia was practically buzzing with the energy of suppressed curiosity, and this would be the first time the two of them were alone with one another since the walk they'd taken on Evryn. So much had happened since then.

She sighed and retraced her path to the hangar, deciding she'd think about how to satisfy Leia and her curiosity later, when she absolutely needed to. Right now, it just made her think of Ben, and she didn't really want to do that.

Having him away from her was…uncomfortable. In the few months they'd spent more or less tethered to each other's company, she'd grown entirely too used to him. Now it felt like ripping off a warm blanket in the cold of night.

 _Get a hold of yourself_ , she mentally scolded.

She needed to think about Finn and his troops. It would be good to see him again.

The box she'd unloaded from the Falcon still sat untouched in the corner of the hangar. She signaled for one of the cargo masters to come over. He made her fill out a delivery form on his datapad and ensured her it would arrive safely in the hands of its intended recipients. Rey allowed herself to discreetly probe his mind for any hidden intent of peeking inside the box, but she found only boredom and tedium combined with a strong moral code.

Satisfied that her delivery would be made, she waited around for Inez to arrive.

The girl appeared eventually, with a beaming Finn in tow.

"Rey!" He cried when he saw her, running the last few yards between them.

Happiness bubbled up in her, sweet and cleansing, and she laughed as he pulled her into a fierce embrace. No one could hug like Finn. She snuggled into it and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I missed you," she sighed.

He delayed letting go just a moment longer. "You have no idea."

They parted, relieved and pleased to be together again. Ben, observing the deep and abiding love she had for Finn and he for her, had once suggested that their relationship was peculiarly similar to siblings, and ever since then Rey had affectionately regarded her first friend as her brother. And it was good to be with her brother, even if it hadn't been that long since they'd seen each other. Time was a funny thing when one was a spacer hopping from planet to planet, she'd come to learn. What had only been about two days on Jakku could have been a couple weeks on Coruscant. She couldn't really keep track of it, having known only one concept of time for most of her life.

"How's Rose?" She asked.

"Busy. She's off to Bepsin, actually, on assignment from Poe." He sighed. "I wish you could be with the rest of us on Coruscant. It doesn't feel right, scattering us all across the galaxy like this."

"Yeah." Her gaze drifted to Inez, who watched them eagerly. They'd all spent so much time together, living and working towards the same goal, hanging on to one another as the lone survivors in a galaxy ruled by those who wanted them dead. It was strange now that their purpose had shifted and duty tore them in different directions.

"So, want to come inspect your troops?" Finn asked.

Rey smiled and nodded, following him and Inez as they left the hangar and headed out into the windy, stormy city. Rain hadn't fallen yet, but the promise of it hung heavy in gravid black clouds.

They headed across the city street towards another building. With no name on the exterior, Rey could not guess what it had been before. As soon as they got inside, however, she saw that it was now the staging area for many construction groups. They sat around tables, laughing raucously and enjoying lunch while they waited for the sky to unleash its fury.

Towards the back of the vast space, stood a group of over a dozen stormtroopers in white armor, helmets off, revealing the varied faces of the men and women who would be tasked with guarding the Supreme Leader.

"What did you tell them about the assignment?" Rey asked as the three of them picked their way over to the squad.

"That they were the personal body guards of a VIP, but I didn't say who. A lot of these guys are not going to be real thrilled about going back to the First Order, you know?"

"I know." Rey was prepared for that. Ben had known it too, which was why he thought it best if Rey explained the assignment to them before they ever laid eyes on him.

She glanced at Inez. "Is there somewhere quieter we can take them for the debriefing?"

"There are some warehouses behind this which hold the building materials. Should be quiet at lunch time," said the cheery sixteen year old.

Rey nodded. It would have to do.

The troopers looked so odd, without their helmets. Their heads seemed much too small, like humans had been attached to large droid bodies. Still, they did look a lot more friendly than the menacing faceless soldiers she was used to seeing.

They all came to attention when Finn approached, disciplinary habits slightly diluted by a new sense of freedom and independence. A few of them grinned at him.

"Troops, we're gonna follow Inez here to a better briefing room. This place kinda got loud when the crews came back, didn't it?"

He motioned to Inez, who proudly let the clattering company as they turned and fell into step behind her. Rey noticed a few of the construction workers giving them wary glances as they departed. She could feel their unease at having their former oppressors in their midst.

In the warehouse, Finn organized their attention once more and gave a little prelude to the meeting by emphasizing how much he trusted Rey and therefore they should trust her too. He ran through a dramatically truncated version of events and Rey's position as a Jedi, for lack of a better title. Rey enjoyed watching him lead. He was a natural at it, and they all regarded him with attitudes of respect.

Eventually her turn came. She approached the task with some trepidation. Whatever skills her life had cultivated, conducting a crowd wasn't one of them.

"So…" she began, shifting under the awkward mantle suddenly placed on her shoulders. How did one speak to soldiers? Friendly-but-commanding? "I'm here to recruit you for a mission which…you may not like. But like Finn said, if you trust me, I promise your circumstances will be different from what they were before."

A curious ripple ran through the psyche of the group, even though they remained at attention and silent.

Rey sucked in a deep breath and forged ahead. "The person you'll be guarding in the Supreme Leader. Kylo Ren."

Their discipline did suffer a setback now, as many of them flinched and a few faces broke into horrified dismay.

"Soldiers," Finn warned, voice low.

Rey quickly tried to reassure them. "What the galaxy doesn't know, and what the First Order can never know, is that Kylo is on our side now. He's working with myself, Finn, and General Organa. He's going to break down the First Order from the inside, but in order to do that he needs our help. As his private guard, you won't be subject to the same rules as the other stormtroopers. You won't stay in the same barracks. You won't even have the same armor. You will answer to me, or him, and no one else. Things will be different for you there, and you will accompany us wherever we travel in an official capacity. And when it is all over, you will return to Finn's service."

Rey felt suspicion rise in the group before her. They feared this was a trap, meant to capture them in their desertion and bring them back to the First Order for punishment. She glanced at Finn for help, a sense of inadequacy robbing her of whatever she'd vaguely planned to say next.

Surprisingly it was Inez who stepped in, however. She swept her fiery gaze over the group and reminded Rey of a young Leia. She was learning well from her mentor.

"Listen here. I was one of the ones in charge of guarding Kylo Ren while he was with the Resistance, so I saw him when he first arrived right through when we won the battle of Naboo. I can pretty safely say he's not the same leader you followed. And trust me when I tell you that Rey is the one to follow. He knows it too, which is why they're working together now. Did you know they took down the Knights of Ren? And did you know they killed Hux _and_ let everyone on the _Finalizer_ escape? Kylo is changed now. Rey is part of the reason. If she's the one asking you to do this, you can be sure it's a good assignment, and it's important that you take it."

Rey was…touched...but also surprised by how much the girl knew. Leia must have been confiding in her young protégé more than she thought. Still, when Inez glanced her way, pleased and proud, Rey rewarded her with a friendly smile.

The troopers responded. Inez had spoken with authority — something Rey herself hadn't done, at least not with this crowd. She'd been firmer with the scavengers. But those circumstances were different. She knew them and surged with confidence in her own element. This was alien turf and trained soldiers were alien subordinates.

Finn slung his arm around Inez's shoulders, grinning proudly, and took his turn to address his troops.

Suddenly it didn't matter that Ben was halfway across the galaxy on his own mission. Rey remembered that she wasn't at all alone, and surged with gratitude for the loyalty of her friends. When they finished their meeting, the company returned to find the construction crews scrambling out into a torrent of rain to secure scaffolding and rigs which were now coming apart in the breeze. Rey, Inez, and Finn all glanced at one another with the same thought springing to life in all of them. Rey grinned and turned to give the order. Soon they were leading their squadron out into the fray to assist those they had once persecuted.

* * *

That evening, Leia and Rey arrived at the Naberrie town home where C-3PO had already galvanized the culinary droids into filling the whole place with tantalizing aromas of a promising meal.

"We've got the place to ourselves," Leia assured her when she saw Rey glancing around anxiously for the relatives. "They're still in the Lake Country,"

"Oh," Rey said with a relieved little laugh. She liked the Naberrie family well enough — they'd been incredibly gracious and kind in opening their homes to Leia and gifting Rey and Ben with whatever they needed. But Rey worried they'd insist on providing her more of those dreadfully fancy clothes and she didn't know how to decline without being impolite.

If Leia knew this was the reason for her relief, however, she didn't comment on it. Instead she showed Rey to a room and then promptly excused herself to go freshen up.

Rey stretched out on the soft bed wide enough for two and nestled her face into a pillow, kicking off her boots. A cool, rain-scented breeze filtered in through an open window, along with the sounds of birds singing about the sweet, clear evening after a day of rain. The first leg of Rey's task was complete. Finn's troops had been recruited to her side and were now spending in the night in a nearby inn, awaiting her orders in the morning. Tomorrow, she'd take them to Canto Bight. Finn had already gone back to Coruscant, declining Leia's offer to let him spend the night as well.

Her thoughts strayed to Ben, and she searched for that thread of connection linking them across the stars. There — dimly, distantly, she felt him.

Impatient with herself, she rolled off the bed and got back to her feet, deciding to distract herself by exploring this fine house. It had several bedrooms and a large, expansive courtyard filled with green, growing things. Rey went into this courtyard, drawn by the abundance of life, savoring the feeling of damp grass beneath her bare feet. Some of the trees sported a lavender-colored citrus fruit, giving the whole thing a deliciously fresh aroma. Rey closed her eyes and basked in it. The Force thrummed happily here, fed by so much life.

Leia found her like that, and decided they should take their dinner in the courtyard. The droids began setting up accordingly.

"First thing first," Leia announced, motioning for Rey to sit at an ornate metal table painted in white. "Your shuttle request."

Rey sat. She watched the other woman sink into a seat opposite her and waited to be told the verdict. There was a certain humor, she decided, in asking permission to use a First Order craft for the Supreme Leader, but this base had been captured and all its resources were now the property of Theed. As it should be. Still, this little process of formality amused her.

Leia smiled. "It has been approved. You may take the ship."

Not that she'd really been worried, but Rey couldn't help a small sigh of relief. Of course Leia would be given anything she asked of them. She'd saved their city, whether they knew precisely how or not. Still, it was good to know the plan was working so far.

But Leia's eyes were wickedly sharp, and it was clear she had something else on her mind.

Rey could guess what. She braced herself.

"So, tell me about the donation," Leia said eventually.

"What donation?"

The older woman's gaze narrowed. "A delivery to the Theed council this afternoon. A donation of rare Nova crystals for the reconstruction of Theed, gifted from the people of Alderaan. You don't know anything about that?"

A serving droid placed a plate of steaming food in front of her, so Rey used it to deflect from the question, filling her mouth quickly with as much as would prevent her from speaking. That might have been a mistake. The food was very hot. She sucked a tiny cooling breath through a small hole at the corner of her mouth, hoping it was discreet enough to avoid Leia's notice.

But the general smirked, amused, as Rey struggled to conceal her distress. Leia leaned forward. "Where did you get that kind of fortune? It was incredibly generous - but, a cache of precious crystals? It's unheard of."

Again, Rey declined to answer, hunching over her plate.

"I suppose I should ask my son these questions, shouldn't I?" Leia asked, keeping her eyes trained on her companion.

Rey shrugged. It was the most she was willing to offer on the subject.

"Well, now the council thinks I donated it. I told them I did no such thing, but they don't believe me. It's very much needed, I assure you, but I don't like taking credit for good deeds not of my doing."

Rey had been more or less prepared for this conversation from the moment she and Ben had decided on the donation. She didn't really see why Leia couldn't know about the source of the gems, but Ben preferred to keep the Imperial base a secret. Fairness should mean that he was the one here, enduring this interrogation over something he felt more strongly about than she did, but he wasn't.

"Rey," Leia said in a low, exasperated voice.

Silence wasn't an option anymore. Rey began slowly, cautiously. "The Empire took everything from you, and the people of Alderaan. You and Han and Luke and the others took everything away from the Empire in return — but it couldn't bring back your world. Maybe..." here she stopped herself. She wouldn't give specifics, even if Leia kicked her to the streets for it, but she could give a little. "Maybe the Force is using what remains of the Empire to save other worlds in the memory of yours."

Leia watched her even still, expression intent but otherwise neutral. She was waiting, Rey realized, for the rest of the explanation. Well, she wouldn't get it.

Instead, Rey offered an echo of what Ben had told her when they were deciding on this plan.

"Alderaan is not dead, Leia, because you and a handful of others who remember it survive. If this donation was made in the name of your world, perhaps it comes because of you after all."

Another few seconds of silence passed. Leia didn't move but her gaze finally fell, staring off into the distance as the tides of memory washed over her face. Finally she sighed and turned her attention to her food. Giving up the fight, at last.

"It seems you two have taken an interest in secret schemes," she mumbled after a few bites.

Rey grinned, relieved at the lightening mood. "Believe it or not, it's mostly his doing."

"I believe it. There's more of Han in him than it appears on the surface."

Fondness warmed Rey's insides at this thought, and drew a soft, pleased smile. "Was Han a schemer? The little adventure we had together made me think he was more of an improviser."

Leia laughed. "Oh, he was! He certainly was. He'd devise a half-cocked plan and improvise the rest. But his head was always full of ideas and angles."

Rey ate thoughtfully, her thoughts turning to the grizzled smuggler who barely managed to conceal his soft, mushy center beneath a gruff exterior. Like Ben, hiding the melty romantic in him under coldness and darkness. Both pretending to be tougher than they were.

"In some ways," Leia continued softly. "You remind me a little of him too. You're both survivors."

That stirred up a little ache in Rey, and she heard herself admitting, "I wish I'd had more time to get to know him."

The topic carried great potential for awkwardness, given that Leia's son and Rey's…partner?…was the one responsible for Han's death, but the woman raised in diplomacy navigated the treacherous terrain with grace. She smiled and sat back with a nostalgic look in her eye. "I wonder what you would have thought of him, in his prime. He was a wild one. Poor Han. He tried so hard to be what Ben and I needed, but in the end he could only ever be himself. It took me far too long to accept that."

Rey had seen Leia be vulnerable with her once before, the last time they talked and reflected on the inevitability of loss. It was the first time she'd really seen the whole 'leader' persona stripped away and found the truth of the woman beneath. Now, sitting across a decadent spread of food, she saw it again. Only this time, Leia seemed less sad and alone, and more fondly wistful.

"Remember," Leia continued at Rey's silence. A slight laugh hiccuped through the word. "Remember when I told you that we don't get to choose how love comes to us?"

She did. Leia had said love was a confusing, horrible thing. "You said people show it different ways."

"And that we don't get to choose how they do it. Yes, that's exactly it. Han was…hopeless when it came to love. Frustrating, mostly, but sometimes so sweet. I never intended to fall in love with him — in fact I tried very hard to resist it. And in those early days when he was making passes and teasing me, I don't think he really had a long term commitment in mind. I think he saw a conquest, especially given how stubborn I was. The idea of a smuggler getting in with a princess! Can you imagine the boasting rights? But life is funny, and love is even funnier. In trying to win me, he lost himself. Before we realized it, we were both in too deep."

Rey knew a little about that, but she tried to keep her thoughts only on what was in front of her, and the story Leia was illustrating. If she flexed a little with the Force, she could almost see the memories floating around her companion like an aura. Could almost see the images of a beautiful young woman sinking into the arms of a scruffy, but adoring man. Han _must_ have loved her very much, to give up everything he loved about his life for her for as long as he did.

"Was that the first time you loved someone…like that?" Rey heard herself ask. She hoped it didn't sound too self-disclosing, or reveal too much of her own insecurities. She didn't really understand this whole _romance_ business very well. It made sense and came naturally when Ben was around, in her mind, radiating with so much affection and tender regard that it swept away the strangeness of being so intimate with another person. But without him and his intoxicating presence here, she realized how utterly unprepared she was for a relationship on this level.

Leia's gaze met hers with altogether too much knowing, and Rey wanted to take back her question. But again, Leia deftly maneuvered around the unspoken parts of the conversation with practiced ease. "For me, yes. Oh, I'd had my crushes over the years. My dalliances." Her gaze flashed with devious memory and she grinned. "Each were fun in their own way. But this was the first time I'd felt anything so deep and permanent. It didn't make any sense, but I knew I wanted to be with him."

"For you, but not for him?"

"Oh no. I wasn't his first love."

"You weren't?" Rey asked, brow lifting. She'd only ever heard talk of Han and Leia, and struggled to imagine there had ever been anything before.

Leia laughed. "No, not by a long shot. Han certainly played the field, though not as much as Lando. He lost himself to love a few times. The first was probably the deepest, and I think he would have married her if things had worked out differently. He never quite got over that betrayal. There were others after her, but no one quite came close to the first until I came along. Did you know he was married before me?"

Rey froze in shock, her fork halfway to her mouth.

Leia seemed delighted by this reaction. She nodded, reveling in her story. "It's true. To Sana Starros, the smuggler. They did it for a scam, not really because they were in love. That one got him in a lot of trouble. Oh, Han had quite a life before he met me. But in the end," here her voice softened again, "we chose each other. He didn't love me first, but he loved me most."

Rey struggled with this new information. She couldn't decide if it wounded her perception of the loyal, if wayward, smuggler. If it cheapened the love story she'd been so caught up in a moment ago. Or if it somehow strengthened it.

"Han and I trusted each other. We had each other's back, always. No matter how far apart we were, especially in those final years, we still knew we'd never do anything to hurt or betray one another. That was more powerful than anything that came before. That was why Han loved me. That was why, together, we made a child. Made a life. We made deep and tragic mistakes too, but the love and trust always remained."

Rey tried to stop it, but her thoughts slid to Ben and the thing growing between them. It was bright and strong now, acknowledged and nurtured with their attention to one another, but it was also still new. Neither had sought it in the beginning, but it came anyway, came on the same current of their shared Force bond. At what point would they know if it was strong _enough_? Strong like Han and Leia's, to sustain them through turbulence and tragedy. And what if it was only ever that strong? Not enough to keep them from drifting around one another in distant orbits, barely tethered by a thin, stretched string of lingering love.

Trust they had — impossible as that was after their harrowing beginning. Perhaps it was a solid enough foundation.

"Rey," Leia said, startling her out of her troubled thoughts. "Remember what I said last time? It's different for everyone."

Warmth crept into her cheeks and Rey looked quickly at her food. It was mostly gone now.

"You have your own path to follow. It won't look like mine." Leia winked, letting a smile slide across her face in cheeky knowing.

This only made Rey blush deeper, even as it provoked a little laugh. Neither of them had told Leia a thing about their growing relationship, but it wasn't at all surprising that she had guessed.

That night, climbing into that big, soft bed, Rey tried to push the night's conversation out of her mind. She didn't want to imagine Han heartbroken over someone else. She didn't want to imagine Leia, watching him go back to what he knew, resigned but sorry all the same. She had faced the truth of this sad, fractured family before, but because of what was now quietly building between herself and Ben, it all felt far too real. No longer a bittersweet story of romance and family and separation, but now a sad illustration of what love could and could not do.

She rolled away from the huge, empty expanse of mattress around her. Twice, she'd shared a bed with him. Once, it had been much too small and required him to hold her, acting as her pillow and her safeguard against falling off. The second had been on this very planet, in the other house of this same family, in a bed about the same size as this. They'd soothed each other through the restlessness of trying to sleep after a day of wrenching emotions and bloody warfare.

Now she wished he were here to comfort her. To remind her that theirs was a unique story, not like Leia and Han's. Not like anyone's. The cosmos wanted this — didn't it? From the beginning, forces seen and unseen had been drawing them together over and over again, thrusting them into each other's way until they were forced to confront the inevitable. It was…destiny, wasn't it? And destiny couldn't be severed by conflicting natures and opposite life goals, right?

"Ben…" she growled, balling her hands into fists and mashing them against her eyes.

Too bad they didn't have much control over the whole face-to-face connection thing. She could feel it when it was about to begin, and she had learned how to shut it down when she didn't want to see him in those months after Crait, but she had never learned how to instigate it. Neither had he. She would have liked to see him now.

Instead she took herself back to Jakku. Back to the AT-AT. Back to the sand dune. Back to his lips on her neck, on her mouth, his soft warm eyes and even softer touch. The fire of purpose in his eyes when he explained what he wanted to do with the treasure. The indignation that had consumed him when Plutt threatened her life. The feeling of him — oh stars, the _feeling_ of him when he took his first flight in the Falcon.

Sighing, she settled her mind with these comforting memories and the promise of tomorrow, when she would take her new crew to Canto Bight.

* * *

 **{Author Notes}**

* * *

Whew. We made it through the longest chapter yet. Also, I don't know why FF has inconsistent centering formatting.

I'm back! Vacation was fabulous. Anyway, I've got the rest of this story outlined now so hopefully updates will come a bit quicker again. I'm excited for a bit of wish-fulfillment and fan service coming down the pipeline :D But first, a little taste of separation to make the hearts grow fonder, ya know? Don't worry, this isn't an angsty story by any stretch.

In other news, SOLOOOOOOOO! I saw it at the fan event on Thursday and it was incredibly fun. I utterly loved it. Like riding on Space Mountain for two hours. Let me know what you thought because I'm DYING to talk to people about it! I won't spoil anything. It was good ole-fashioned Star Wars fun. Go see it!

Comment Responses:

 **wew780** : Thank you! I'm having fun with it, so it's honestly not a chore. This is definitely my favorite ship ATM.

 **XxEviexX** : So, so sexy. He is so sexy. And thank you! :D It was a satisfying chapter to write. We may have to go back and check on Niima to see how it worked out.

 **Kahoko** : Aw, thanks, love! I'm super happy you're enjoying it!

 **engineerwenlock** : Fluff and dumping a corrupt system on its head? What could be better? ;) *hugs*

 **Ori** : Hehehe thanks! I'm psyched to see you! Ben definitely has a lot more to do in this fic. Hopefully you'll like where it goes!


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7: In Motion

* * *

 **Ben Solo**

* * *

Each tale dribbling out of the mouths of gruff, drunken men grew bigger the last, each trying to tell something more outrageous than the other. Their bragging had an aggressive edge to it, as if they were hoping for someone to challenge them and a fight would break out.

They all claimed to be pilots, but Ben had no interest in them. He sat alone in a booth, observing the patrons of the crowded, cramped cantina locals referred to as _The Airlock,_ though the name was more passed on by word of mouth, as the cantina itself bore no signage of any kind.

Still, this was where spacers came to hire pilots, and everyone knew it. Many of the braggarts tonight were just trying to win a job, but their technique at attracting interest was inelegant and crude.

Ben didn't need a hotshot. He needed someone quiet, obedient, and cunning. He pretended to sip at the drink in front of him, never letting a drop of it touch his lips as his eyes scanned the fringes of the room and his mind scanned the consciousness of the masses. He'd been doing this for two nights now, and so far no one had inspired much intrigue in him. But he refused to believe this had been a bad idea. The Force had directed him here, and he had learned long ago to heed the whisperings of that extra tug in his soul. Now it told him this was where he needed to recruit a necessary player in his upcoming plan.

Pamarthians were a rough, rowdy lot. They drank hard and fought harder, foul-mouthed and loose-tongued, most of them. Ben didn't care for their culture — he never had. But they were damn good pilots, and flying was in their blood. Ben didn't need an extraordinarily skilled pilot for his chauffeur as Supreme Leader, but having a Pamarthian not trained in the First Order academy would tell the commanders how little he trusted them, and that would make them nervous. Their unease was key. Comfort bred laziness and conspiracy. He wanted them worried for their jobs and, if necessary, their lives at all times.

A figure skirted the throng of loud boasting, carrying an enormous glass of dubious blue liquid. There was nothing particularly interesting about this person, except that the Force around Ben whispered with recognition. He reached out with his mind and sensed disgust at the others, but not much else. This one was well-guarded.

His instincts had always been his truest companion, and they stirred now, urging him to act. So he did. The figure turned and seemed to be looking for a place to sit, so Ben motioned to the empty sit across from him.

She, it turned out. She strode towards him and paused a few feet away.

"I'm not a prostitute." Smooth, steely tones delivered the curt report, giving the empty side of the booth a disinterested look.

"I know you're not," Ben replied just as evenly. "That's not what I'm looking for."

This must have been reassurance enough, because she slid into the seat a moment later. She looked young, but it was difficult to discern an exact age. Near his own, he guessed. Her silver eyes scanned him appraisingly, raising her glass for a generous swallow, after which she tossed casually, "thanks for the seat."

Pamarthians came in an array of skin tones, though most of them earth-colored and generously tanned. This one was no exception. She had deep umber skin with cool, jeweled undertones. Her black hair, tied back in thick braids, wrapped over one shoulder in a way that reminded Ben of a Twi'lek's lekku. Various beads and worthless coinage had been woven into a few of them. Just like her voice, her expression flashed with flint, hard and guarded.

Ben endured her scrutiny patiently, tapping his fingers along the handle of his own untouched drink. While she tried to determine his type with what she could see, he used his own extra gifts to discern hers as far as he could without delving into her mind. She would have felt it, closed off as she was. He detected someone hungry for...something. He couldn't quite see what.

"You look sweet and soft," she decided, "But you also kind of look like you could take any of these idiots in here — or all of them at once — in a fight. Maybe it's the scar. There's something dangerous about you, am I right?"

Ben didn't reply. His gaze held steady. He waited for this woman, or the Force, to indicate more clearly whether or not she was the right choice for the task at hand, or if he was just meant to learn something from this conversation. It was sometimes difficult to know what the Force intended with its ambiguous urging.

She took another sip. "So, you looking for a pilot?"

"I am."

"Got a ship?"

"Yes, but not here. It will require travel."

Her brow lifted skeptically. "Where's your ship and why isn't it with you?"

"It's on Cantonica, with my affiliate."

She waited for the other answer, and scoffed when it didn't come. "Boy, you're a talkative one. So this gig — is it legal?"

"Does that matter to you?"

The way she bristled reminded Ben of Rey and how she used to react to those early Force-connection conversations. He knew he had a tendency to sound a bit like a teacher when he wanted to maintain the advantage in a conversation. It worked well for him. But those not used to being subordinate chafed at the sudden power play, as was happening now.

"No," she snapped. "Not particularly. Just gotta know what precautions I gotta take here."

"What's your name?" Ben asked.

"Court Kursa. And yours?"

"How long have you been flying, Court?"

His deliberate disregard of her question irritated her further. Ben wondered idly how far he could push her before she gave up on this prospective job altogether.

"Since I was a kid, okay? So do I get to know _anything_ about this job, or do I just have to accept it on blind faith? Because this sounds like a real good way to get myself kidnapped into a slave trafficking ring."

"Accept?" Ben's brow ticked up in mild surprise. "I haven't offered you anything yet."

Court seized her glass and took several long draughts, draining it with impressive apathy towards the searing heat of the liquor. She set it down again and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She then grabbed Ben's glass and dragged it towards her.

"I didn't say you could have that," he remarked.

She gave him a flashing glare. "Yeah, you haven't even touched it, so I don't think you're too protective."

He didn't object further, so she set to nursing it in small, self-soothing sips. He leaned back and drummed his gloved fingers across the table again, considering. Despite her eager consumption, the alcohol didn't seem to be creating much haze of thought. Her perceived her mind was still quick and sharp, searching for the angle in this conversation which would most benefit her.

"Do you have a family?"

She didn't look up. "Yeah. Parents. Couple sisters and a brother."

"This job may last a few years. Are you prepared to be away from them for that long?"

This caught Court's interest, and she perked up. "Wait, this isn't just a quick hop? It's a contract? You don't even know how I fly yet."

"Again, I haven't offered anything."

"Okay well…the answer is yes, I'd be willing to be gone that long. That's the ultimate goal anyway — to get off this waterlogged pebble permanently."

For the briefest instant, her locked up, resistant mind cracked open and Ben was able glimpse a heart sick of quick and dirty smuggling runs, ready for something long and steady. It satisfied him. The Force had provided the sign he was waiting for.

"What are your political leanings?" he asked.

That question surprised her. She cocked her head to the side and gave him a puzzled look. "Political leanings? What kriffer has political leanings these days?"

"Specifically your attitude towards the First Order."

Now her brow shot up and she sat back, folding her hands together and drawing a measured breath. "Now that is a loaded question, friend. Which way would you like me to answer?"

This made him smirk. He decided not to make her guess. "This contract involves the First Order, but I would prefer not to hire a sympathizer."

"Okay." She exhaled. "Then I can tell you the truth — I'd be happy to help blow those karkers out of the sky."

"Hmm," he mused. "We may have to work on your language."

Her silver eyes flashed again, annoyed and fierce. "This is Pamarthe, hun. If you're looking for sweet and refined elocution, you're in the wrong place."

Ben concealed his flicker of amusement. This one would be interesting to have around. He wondered what Rey would think of her and her combative, uncouth, yet somehow artless and honest attitude.

Alright. Ben knew what he wanted, and it seemed Court was interested in what she knew so far. He was ready to get down to business. Leaning his elbows on the table, he leveled the woman in his gaze.

"You'll be flying an _Upsilon_ -class shuttle with a full crew, for an indefinite amount of time, no less than one year. Compensation is negotiable, depending on which monetary system this new government settles on. We'll begin with the equivalent of five thousand credits a month, plus living, food, and travel expenses. You will be playing the part of a First Order loyalist, though you will answer only to myself and my associate."

Court's eyes widened into two huge discs as the details came tumbling onto the table. She used the liquid remaining in Ben's glass to cool the heat of an unbelievable opportunity and give her the courage to respond.

" _Upsilon_ , huh? A long-game infiltration scam, is it?"

Ben allowed her one brief nod. "Something like that."

She nodded and unleashed a series of quick, excited breaths. "Okay...okay..."

"Court?"

"Yeah?"

" _This_ is the offer."

"But you still haven't seen me fly."

"I'm not worried about it. A good pilot doesn't need to brag, which you aren't doing now." He motioned to the rowdy crowd competing for most harrowing story. "Have you ever made a Spice run?"

"Yes."

"Then I know you're competent enough. I don't need an ace."

"But I am." She leaned forward eagerly. "I am that good."

"All the better. So what is your answer?"

She cleared her throat nervously. "Uhh, can I get all this in writing?"

"If you meet me at the nearest landing bay tomorrow morning, yes."

"Then…yes. My answer is yes."

Ben stood and dusted himself off, as if just being in this place had polluted him somehow. He offered his hand. "You may call me Solo."

She reached out to shake it, but paused at the name. "As in…as in, the legendary _Han_ Solo?"

"My father."

Court Kursa jammed her hand into his and shook it enthusiastically, her whole face illuminating. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mister Solo."

* * *

Ben slept poorly.

He didn't really try, to be honest. The spaceport inn was supposed to be one of the nicer in this corner of Pamarthe, but it didn't stop the howling ocean winds, thick with the scent of salty spray and stifling in its humidity, from rattling the windows and moaning through the shingles.

The wind wasn't really to blame, though. It was just the excuse he would give in the morning if Court noticed his weariness. She shouldn't, but she was pretty observant and it had been a while since he'd had to pretend to be fully rested. He'd almost forgotten how to do it.

Lying in the hard, unyielding bed, he stared up at a crudely patched ceiling and tried to clear his mind.

Before winding up at _The Airlock_ for the past two nights, he'd spent each day making all the arrangements, from the rental hopper to the armor pickup, to the set of rooms that would be needed on Canto Bight. It had been a full, busy few days, full of purpose and fulfillment. It was good, and the tasks had kept him busy enough that he'd been able to avoid thinking too much about the truth of the situation. That he was alone on an unfamiliar planet, having sent a reluctant Rey halfway across the galaxy on an errand that could have reasonably been accomplished together.

Now, though, there was nothing to keep him too busy. He'd finished his business and found his pilot. Now, reality hit him like a Wookiee punch to the gut.

It was a wonder she didn't hate him for splitting them up, even if just temporarily. For her, hopefully it would only be a day or two before they were reunited. Pamarthe time was a bit quicker than galactic standard.

Ben initially worried that he hadn't forged enough of a new sense of identify to trust himself when she was no longer beside him, but these last two days had proven otherwise. He found inside him a person he recognized. A little Ben, a little Kylo, a workable mix of dark and light no longer at war within him. He still knew how to take charge and make things happen, but now he was free to do so without the perpetual undercurrent of rage and desperate hunger for belonging.

So tonight he should have been content with his accomplishments and the relish of having completed one stage and moving on to the next. But having a mission had never been enough to drive away the sinister shadows awaiting him in his sleep before, and it wasn't enough now. Compounded with that was the knowledge that _she_ was out there, away from him, like before. Only it wasn't like before. Now he knew what it was like to have her in his arms, and that was worse than never knowing in the first place.

Was she well? Was she alright? Though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, something inside him simmered in discontent that he didn't know for certain — that he couldn't be there to help her deal with any problems.

If she'd made it to Naboo, she was probably with his mother. Was it day for them now, or night? Was Rey asleep, or as restless as him? Would his mother finally succeed in weaseling out the truth about their relationship? She'd been fishing for it for so long, but they'd managed to be vague enough to keep her guessing. Not that Ben didn't want her to know, but he liked this part of things when the two of them shared the secret of what they were. Well, Finn and Rose knew, sort of.

He rolled onto his stomach and tucked his arms beneath the pillow, closing his eyes to picture her face. A quiet little ache blossomed in his chest, which he tried to expel with a sigh. Sinking into a light meditation, he sought her light in the Force.

She was there. Burning brilliantly like a huge green star in the cosmic fabric. Steady and sure and distant. Green didn't really make sense for the color of a star, he knew, but it was the color he associated with her. Green, like the growing, living things she loved so much.

He could feel her — could she feel him?

Trusting that she could, Ben idled away his night in this fretful way, alternately thinking of her and trying not to, letting himself doze when it came naturally or letting his mind wander when sleep eluded him.

In the morning, he met the ceaseless wind with a mind ready for the task at hand.

Pamarthe was a blue marble suspended in the galactic canvas, entirely covered by water except for a system of islands connected by ancient stone or rope bridges. He took one of these bridges now, a woven contrapation that swayed in the ocean gales and was crusted with salty spray. Rey would have hated it, he knew. It shifted dubiously underfoot and made even Ben himself rather uncomfortable as he traversed the great cerulean expanse between the accommodations island and the space port.

The waves were more choppy this morning, and the bridge moved more than it did last night. By the time he arrived at his rented ship, his stomach was churning unpleasantly.

Court found him inspecting the engines of the rented craft a few minutes after he'd arrived.

"Um, pretty sure that's my job," she remarked, lifting a brow.

Ben moved aside and motioned for her to take his place. She seemed eager and well rested. As she edged past him, however, he noticed something… _wriggling_ on her shoulder.

He blinked and stepped back.

"You've got something stuck to your hair, there."

She lifted her hand and the squirming thing emerged from under the thick braids along her shoulder and leapt nimbly into her hand. It was a tiny primate, about the size of her palm, sporting white fur dusted turquoise at the tips. A long, furry, prehensile tail coiled around her wrist and the little thing braced itself on her fingers as she bent and returned to her examination of the engines.

"Ever seen a Josnoran monkey before?"

Ben lifted a brow. "I didn't hire your pet, Court."

"He's not really my pet, but I don't fly without him. So if this voids our contract, go ahead and find yourself another pilot."

"You didn't have it last night."

"Exactly for this reason. People won't hire me if they see him first."

Ben could understand why. Last night, he'd determined that Court's roughness around the edges and lack of formality would be good for his plan, but seeing this little pest made him second guess himself. If the commanders saw her, would they see this wildcard as evidence of their supreme leader's desperation?

He sighed. "The contract goes into effect upon leaving Canto Bight. Everything that happens until then is your trial period."

"Fine," said Court. She flashed him a pearly white smile. "If you'll kindly take your seat inside, Mister Solo, I'll just check the hyperdrive and get us on our way. Assuming you are ready to leave?"

Ben frowned. Maybe giving her his name had been a mistake. It struck him as a good idea at the time, and her sudden enthusiasm to work with him had initially seemed like a payoff, but now he saw the problem with it. She couldn't very well go around the First Order calling him that. As he made his way into the rented hopper and selected the copilot's seat, he debated on the most appropriate moment to give her the rest of the details of this job.

Outside, on the ground, he saw Court approach a group of people with similar features to her own. They presented her with a woven bag stuffed with things, and she in turn gave them all long, tender hugs. The ridiculous tiny monkey leapt from her shoulder onto the head of the smallest stranger. The little girl giggled and tried to grab him while he scampered and leapt across the rest of the group.

They looked happy, and proud. Ben lifted his gaze out to the blue horizon and pulled himself back from what was happening below. With every ounce of self-discipline he possessed, he stifled the memory threatening to rise. He didn't want to remember the last time he'd had a family. When they all still had hope that they could figure out how to _be_ a family. Hope. It always came at the parting of the ways. Hope of seeing each other again. Hope that all would be well during the absence. What he clung to now, while _she_ was far away from him.

For Ben, Leia, and Han, that hope had been futile.

He exhaled slowly and stared straight ahead at that same horizon until Court finally came aboard and sank into the pilot's seat. He glanced at her then, expecting to find a few tears lingering on her cheeks or shining in her eyes. Instead she looked determined and eager. The monkey was with her, and hopped off her shoulder to dash around the cockpit controls, flicking various switches needed to prime the hyperdrive and warm up the engines.

Ben watched it, frowning again.

"He's my copilot," Court said, grinning when she saw his expression. "He's not as fearsome as a Wookiee, I know, but just as handy in a tight spot."

People and their sentimentality. He offered no comment and refused to acknowledge the creature when it scampered over his side of the controls, doing what he easily could have done himself.

"So," Court said as they smoothly lifted off. "To Canto Bight?"

* * *

Several quiet hyperspace hours later, Court took them into a smooth, gliding descent over the glimmering city at the edge of the only green patch on the planet Catonica.

Ben was surprised to discover his pulse had quickened into an excited, nervous rhythm. Curious, this reaction of his physical to the promise of reunion. She was there somewhere, amidst the glitz and glam of this absurdly decadent town perched on the edge of a balmy, artificial sea.

After Naboo, she would have gone to pick up the new armor — the only part of her set of tasks that gave him a twist of worry — and then headed here. She should have arrived a little before him, so long as everything had gone according to plan.

And he knew it had the moment he emerged from the rental hopper. He could feel her presence like the crackle of electricity in the air, or like a cool, fresh breath amidst stifling heat. It hit him the same way it always had. On Takodana, when he first felt her, and every other time since. That unmistakeable draw, pulling his soul as a magnet to hers. The imperative to find her overwhelmed him, nearly driving him to abandon his plan — but Ben knew how to resist, and he did so now.

 _Soon_ , he promised himself.

Court hissed an impressed whistle behind him. It pierced his reverie and shattered the moment. He glanced at her.

"I've made some swanky runs, Solo, but never anything as highbrow as this."

Ben eyed her smuggler aesthetic and the mangy creature clinging to her braids. "If you intend to blend in, you'll have to change."

She stuck her hands into two baggy pockets, lifting a brow in his direction. "Do I need to blend in? What's my role here? Am I just staying on the ship?"

"Are you any good at gambling?"

Court laughed. "That's need-to-know information, bossman, and you don't."

He handed her a generous stack of credits. "Find yourself something more suitable to wear and use the rest however you want. If our paths cross, do not address me by name. I've secured rooms at the casino, take one of them for yourself and meet me back here in the morning."

"Whoa, wait, that's it? Just, 'do what you want and see you tomorrow?'"

"Yes."

"And…you want me to pretend I don't know you?"

"No, just don't address me by name."

"Ah, part of the scam?" She winked. "I got it. No worries, boss. I can play along."

She had what she needed, and Ben was impatient to get on with the evening. The city shimmered like a scattering of Nova crystals across the dark coastal canvas, full of promise for the rich and wealthy — and for him, though what he wanted most had nothing to do with the riches of the casino.

Still, that was his destination, so after Court was finished they parted ways and he headed for the center of all the glamour. Creatures of all kinds, humanoid and otherwise, milled around in the ignorant bliss of the obscenely wealthy. They floated as if weightless, tinkling glasses of sparkling liquid always in hand. Ben navigated through them quickly, checking in and heading to the room he'd reserved. Though he always looked after his appearance and thankfully didn't stick out too much here, he knew he wasn't nearly ready for evening's itinerary.

The room was a fine one — as all rooms in Canto Bight were. If you couldn't afford a room this opulent, you couldn't afford to be in the city. Though Ben had always held an appreciation for nice things, this level of extravagance seemed utterly wasteful and foolish to him. He'd privately thought the same thing about Snoke and his proclivity for the ostentatious.

The refresher had many settings, including ones infused with exotic scented oils and skin-softening agents. He needed to look the part of the Supreme Leader, so he chose something a bit more luxurious than he normally would have otherwise.

His thoughts kept betraying him, slipping back to Rey and the anticipation of seeing her again. It was maddening. He wanted to concentrate on the negotiations ahead of him. Instead, he began to wonder if she'd insist on them sharing a room, and how he wouldn't object. In fact, the thought was rather pleasing, even if it would cost him dearly in self-discipline later. When he had finished in the refresher and went about the process of dressing in elegant attire in shades of black and gray, he also tidied up the already impeccably tidy room — just in case.

It was ridiculous to be this nervous, and he knew it. He would have loathed himself for it, except that it wasn't an altogether unpleasant feeling. Besides, his life had taken a turn for the better since this madness had begun on Starkiller.

Finally he was ready. Time to play the game.

The casino pulsed with fevered promise, glamour and fashion mingling with glided dreams of fast fortune and reckless indulgence. Everyone looked like an eccentric lord or lady, dripping with riches and serene smiles. They scattered their funds across various game tables, eliciting cheers or groans of sympathy from onlookers. Beautiful partners hung on the arms of their chosen mate for the evening, romance mingling with the ritzy shine of it all and the seductive draw of high fashion. Oh, it was a splendid scene of euphoric madness.

Ben largely ignored most of this as he surveyed the playing field, searching for his target amid all that glitter.

A Twi'lek woman with green skin and alluring turquoise makeup approached him, smiling like one about to make a proposition.

"Hi, baby," she purred in velvet Rylothian accents. "Just got here, huh? Must be thirsty. Care for a drink?"

"No." Ben was irritated by the lack of fear he sensed in her. The last time he'd been here on an errand from Snoke, attention had gone to Hux while others avoided him with obvious terror. Then again, he had been in full regalia that time, including his mask. It warded off others, which suited him, and it was meant to intimidate the director. Now, though, he looked a lot different - lot more approachable, annoyingly.

He moved away from the Twi'lek, apparently undeterred by his rejection, and headed towards the bar to give himself a new vantage point from which to scope for the director. Fortunately she did not follow. At the bar, a golden service droid prepared drinks. Ben ordered himself a prop, as he'd done on Pamarthe, and sat on a stool, turning with drink in hand to survey the room once more.

Across a sea of players and pieces, a few faces and species stood out more than others, but mostly they were an indefinite sea of overindulgence. Perhaps in different circumstances, Ben might have been tempted to join a group at a sabacc table, knowing how likely he was to win. But it would only be for the thrill, and not at all for money. Tapping his glass impatiently, he scanned the crowd again. A figure in red somewhere near the back paused and looked around. Ben's gaze pulled towards the place, drawn magnetically. He froze. Every cell of his body burst into flames as his soul recognized that signature pulse of energy.

 _Rey_.

She stiffened, hit by her own wave of awareness. Turning, her eyes met his across the great expanse, and for a moment nobody else existed.

Ben's heart raced within him. He stood. It was her…and yet…how could it be? He had never seen her like this. Not even in his dreams.

She was — she was different. Someone had gotten a hold of her and transformed her into a creature who could never, _ever_ have been a garbage picker on a dead world. Her hair was down, but styled in loose, tousled waves. A glittering ruby dress hugged her slim form, neckline plunging so precariously low, Ben's insides gave a lurch and heat radiated upwards through him. The dress was complemented by a familiar white cape dripping from her shoulders like liquid light. Ben tingled with something unfamiliar, a little light-headed, though he couldn't concentrate on her absurdly elegant appearance for long. As always, it was her stare which drew him most and he found himself voluntarily drowning in the feeling of her once again.

But who had given her those clothes? And why was she here now? He'd expected to find her after his meeting with —

The man he'd been waiting for all night stepped into his field of view as he approached the bar, forcing Ben to unwillingly redirect his attention for a brief instant to verify. Yep, that was the right man. He hadn't recognized or even noticed Ben, but was now leaning on the bar beside him, ordering a drink.

He glanced back at Rey, suddenly torn in wrenching anguish. Everything within him, every impulse of his body and instinct of his heart, demanded he go to her. But his target was right here, and he needed to settle this business. It was a loathsome indecision.

 _"Go,"_ her mental voice echoed into his mind, soft and familiar, along with a sweeping wave of calm.

She began weaving her way towards him, and he turned to the man next to him.

"Director Cedris."

The man glanced up, blue eyes sharp and nervous. He had not changed much since Ben last saw him years ago, except that his blond hair seemed more ashen now, and wrinkles had set in along the edges of his pale skin. He still wore absurdly extravagant clothing — even for this crowd.

"Do I know you?" Cedris asked, frowning.

Ben monitored Rey's approach with half his awareness, the rest given over to the ritual of conversation. "I believe we have an appointment."

"You're the new man?" The anxiousness receded and an eager sort of intrigue dawned on Cedris' face. He lowered his voice. "Representing the… _Order_?"

"I am."

"Where's the hound? The one with the mask?" He glanced around. "Will he be participating in our discussion today?"

"No."

The man grinned, wide and pleased. "Well, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this. I was surprised to hear from your people again. I'd heard you'd fallen on hard times."

Rey arrived. Ben's pulse quickened and he tracked her over Cedris' shoulder. She shimmered in her movements, like everyone did here, and the Force swelled with their restored proximity. She didn't glance their way at all as she slid up to the bar on the other side of the director and quietly ordered a glass of sparkling water from the serving droid.

Cedris noticed. He gave Ben an incredulous look and turned to her. " _Water,_ are you seriou…?"

What began as a teasing rebuke dissolved into speechlessness when he got a good look at her. Words failed him momentarily. Ben watched his whole body language change, spine straightening while his face seemed to melt into a reflection of its younger version, eyes wide and friendly.

"Water, my dear?" His voice had softened and the reproach was gone, replaced by a warm chuckle. "Nobody comes to this place for the water. Let me buy you something a bit more fun?"

Rey glanced at him, then at Ben behind. He felt her flutter of nervousness echo through their bond.

"No, thank you."

Cedris laughed. "You're not pregnant, are you? That's the only reason I can think of to refuse. And what a shame, if you are. Destroy a beautiful masterpiece for no good reason."

A flash of annoyance streaked through her, but somehow she kept it from manifesting in her smooth, cool voice. "I'm not."

"That's a relief. But why then, my girl? Are you religious, maybe?"

"Mm." She retrieved her glass of bubbles from the droid. "You could say that."

Who had coached her in preparation for this evening? Who had taught her to be coy? In all the time Ben had known her, he'd never seen her play at being anyone other than herself. Even when they infiltrated the base on Naboo, the air of pride and power she'd affected had only been a glimpse at the dark queen that lay buried in her soul. But this…this wasn't someone he recognized. And he knew how uncomfortable she was, even if she deftly concealed it from the director.

"Religious girls are the most fun," Cedris said with a wink. "I think we can work around your sobriety just fine."

"Director," Ben said, voice low and warning.

"Oh, how rude of me." Cedris turned and waved a hand Ben's direction. "Darling, this is my associate. Eh…mate, I don't know your name."

Ben sighed. "Nor do you need to know it. My time is valuable, and you can't afford to keep me waiting."

"Ah." He glanced back at Rey. "Pardon him, my pet, he represents a rather impatient lot. We have a previously arranged business meeting, you see. In the private lounge."

She sipped at her glass, flinching almost imperceptibly at the sharp sting of fizz, and looked from Cedris to Ben. A single brow lifted. "Oh? What is your business?"

"Hah!" The relish in Cedris triumphant laugh revealed this as his ace card, his ticket to certain victory. No doubt bragging about what he did for a living had worked well for him in the past. "Why don't you join us and see for yourself?"

"You haven't asked your nameless associate," she said demurely.

"He doesn't mind, do you, old boy?" Cedris clapped Ben on the shoulder, but removed it quickly when he received a withering look in return. "He's just a messenger for the big dogs."

Ben laced his reply with enough ice to cool the room several degrees. "Careful, Director. You mistake yourself as safe, but you shouldn't provoke what you don't understand. Our business is sensitive."

Cedris frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "Alright, easy now." He leaned in and lowered his voice to keep Rey from hearing. "She won't understand what we're talking about anyway. Girls like this always ignore what they don't comprehend. They're only interested in two things. Money, and what I intend to show her later."

Ben sucked in a sharp breath to disguise the snarl threatening his composure. He steadied his voice and said, "Women like that are always dangerous, Cedris. You shouldn't underestimate her."

But he straightened and flashed Ben a wild grin, speaking louder now. "Come, man, I must insist."

Ben rolled his eyes and turned to head to the private lounge, knowing Cedris and Rey would both follow. He didn't mind if she joined them, truth be told, though it _was_ an abrupt departure from the way he thought the night would go. But he had to make a show of it for the director's sake, and besides, he wasn't entirely eager to watch her endure the man's attentions for the duration of this discussion.

Rey's mind swirled with discomfort, intrigue, and amusement, all competing with one another. She sought him with phantom fingers and he met her, opening his mind to her inquiry enough to let her see how he hoped this meeting would go. If she were going to be part of it, she might as well know anyway. From her side came waves of agreement, and the intention to help push Cedris in the way Ben wanted.

Ben buzzed with sudden excitement. Having a secret partner in this negotiation would be nefarious and amusing. And later, when they were alone again, he would ask about the dress, and the act, and everything that had happened since they parted.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Comment Responses:

 **Ema Marsel** : Yay! I'm happy you found the first one and are here for this one :D Thank you for your kind words. And I'm glad to hear you liked Solo. I've been a fan of all these news movies, and this one was particularly fun. And I agree, it definitely opened up a lot about his character! Everything meant to follow in the anthology film pipeline sounds incredibly exciting.

 **jenmarsh** : Oh man, your review made my whole week! Thank you so much! It's going to be such a long wait until EP IX. Haha this started as a way to get it all out of my system so I could handle the next year without obsessing. It hasn't gotten it out of my system at all, but speculating about what could happen has satisfied the itch enough - for now. Not sure what I'll do when I come to the natural conclusion of this story.

 **engineerwenlock** : Thaaaank youuuu! I'm always apprehensive putting OC's into stories built on an already beloved canon, but a few of them feel necessary in this story, so I'm happy to hear you're on board. And Leia is always so fun with play with. I love her character so much.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8: The Hounds

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

Rey was unsettled.

She had been ever since she arrived in Canto Bight.

And it didn't have anything to do with the ridiculous clothes she wore or how utterly exposed they left her, or the ridiculous people, or the ridiculous, gawdy show of it all, or the knowledge that she'd soon see Ben again. It didn't seem related to anything she intended to do, or the plan currently underway.

The feeling just lurked there in the back of her mind, or maybe her heart, like a vague knowledge that there was _something_ about this place. A tug of her sleeve. A quiet pestering.

But she didn't know what, and couldn't figure it out, so she left her troops to guard the shuttle and struck out into the night, hoping it would come to her eventually.

That was then. Now, the evening had taken a swooping turn into the unexpected, effectively distracting her from that funny little feeling nudging at her mind. The sights of Canto Bight absolutely overwhelmed her, with so many lifeforms dressed in such absurd regalia, spending wantonly such resources as could dramatically change the lives of those trying to scratch out a living. It was repulsive — and hypnotic. And though the clothes she wore made her feel like a fool, she was grateful Leia had insisted on them. Few noticed her, and those who did assessed her appearance with approval, accepting her as one who belonged, instead of the pretender she felt like inside.

But nothing demanded her attention more than Ben himself. Dressed sharply in shades of gray, soft black hair set in relaxed curls, each nested over one another in a sweep of tantalizing lusciousness. He looked — like the Supreme Leader, yes, but even more regal than that. Not a military type. The son of Alderaanian royalty. The heir to Leia's throne. The moment Rey saw him across the casino, she felt the galaxy shift beneath her feet. Though it had only been a couple days since they'd parted, somehow, now, it felt like a lifetime had passed. She barely recognized him like this. Yet her heart knew him. He was _her_ Ben Solo.

So it didn't matter what scheme he was currently conducting, she wanted in. She would make herself a role, just to be near him. She would have liked to touch his hair, honestly, but couldn't really see how to get away with that at the moment.

She found herself now following a repugnant middle-aged human with lustful eyes, and Ben, into a room just off the main casino lounge. The sound from the gamblers vanished as soon as the heavy glass door shut behind them. The muted space featured an array of tables and chairs, some filled with occupants deep in quiet conversations. Dim lighting set a mellow, serious tone. Circular booths tucked into the walls ran along each edge of the room, padded benches wrapping all the way around a table set beneath a matching padded overhang, like little, private pods nested into alcoves. It was to one of these that Ben led them.

He stood aside and motioned for her to slide in first. She did so, assuming a position at the back of the pod. The man, whose name she did not know yet, took his place on her right with a fine, wide grin, and Ben eventually came in on her left. He kept his distance, though, feigning disinterest in her.

Rey reveled in this situation. Pretending not to know one another, even as they secretly conspired to outwit this...director? Who was he, anyway?

"I've never been in this room before," she confided in her mark, giving him a brief smile.

He chuckled and patted her hand. "I don't doubt it, my dear. This is probably the most important meeting you'll ever be a part of."

Well that was... insulting. She frowned, then remembered her game and wiped it away quickly.

Leia's council rattled through her mind, guiding her awkward attempts at being alluring, despite the repulsiveness of her target.

 _A little charm can take you a long way,_ the older woman had said while she sorted through an array of fine clothes, in search of something appropriate for the Canto Bight scene. Leia admitted herself that she wasn't always charming, inclining more towards combativeness as a result of her naturally hot temper, but she had sometimes utilized flirting to get what she wanted. She learned the value of playing the fool in order to persuade her enemies to underestimate her potential, even if she only did so sparingly.

Rey thought the whole thing was completely outside her skill set and tried to dissuade further conversation on the topic, but Leia insisted. Now, she was a little grateful. As soon as this stranger's attitude had changed at the sight of her, she realized this was an advantage she could press. And knowing Ben had some objective to conquer with the man made her keen to try. She intended to put Leia's advice to good, if clumsy, use.

Besides, she had to admit, it was amusing to see how much it affected Ben too. His face remained an indifferent mask, but she could feel what was happening within. Certain movements or glances from her could cause his heart to stumble unsteadily in its rhythm and his side of their bond would superheat. He clenched his jaw and tried to ignore her.

But he was finding it as difficult to keep his mind, and hands, off her as she was keeping her own away from him.

"So I heard about your trouble on Naboo," the director said, leaning forward on the table to give Ben a scrutinizing look. "Seems like those pesky rebels multiplied, eh? Because I heard it wasn't just Naboo, but across most of the galaxy. A coordinated uprising, as it were."

This gave the director a measure of glee, though Rey sensed it wasn't born of some noble desire for a free galaxy. He harbored personal resentment towards the First Order, but deeper than that she couldn't read without breaching his mind. She forced a small little smile when he glanced her way.

 _He hates us._ The thought came quietly, but not from her. She glanced at Ben briefly. _Hux and I both dealt with him before. He did not like those negotiations._

Ben signaled a service droid, and then returned to the situation at hand. "Don't get too excited, Director. We allowed the rebels a minor victory, nothing more. We have plans much bigger than the scuffle of Naboo, which is what I am here for."

The droid arrived and bowed with a whir. His vocalizer must have been fitted with a dampener because when he spoke, his mechanical voice sounded in a manner more hushed and muted than was usual for his kind.

"My lady, good sirs. It is my pleasure to provide you with anything you may desire this evening. My name is M7-Z—"

"I'll take a plate of Tondorian Oysters," the director said, interrupting M7's introduction and giving Rey a lewd wink. "And the lady..."

Food? They were supposed to order food? Rey had never eaten in a restaurant, much less one that didn't provide a menu. She experienced a brief moment of panic, but it was quickly overridden by Ben's firm command.

"Can order for herself." He gave the director a steely look, then glanced at Rey. "I'm not particularly hungry, miss. If you like, we can share a galactic tour plate."

She smiled and nodded. She had no idea what that meant, but it seemed like a good idea to agree. The droid acknowledged the order and shuffled off with barely a whisper of sound.

"Now wait a minute," the director began to object, but Ben fixed him with a firm look. He bristled. "You're trying to move in on my territory, mate."

Rey's brow shot up incredulously. "Territory?"

The director immediately became contrite. "I didn't mean you are territory, my sweet, only that you don't want to be sharing anything, much less a meal, with this sort. He comes from treacherous people."

"Would you like to tell her what you were going to order for her instead?" Ben asked mildly.

The director frowned again. "It's all innocent fun. She would have enjoyed it and still been hungry later this evening when it counts."

Ben crackled with dangerous energy, the Force around him twisting under reluctant restraints.

Rey did _not_ like being talked about as if she weren't there. She fought down her own instinctive defenses. How did other women endure this kind of treatment? Only a few minutes of subjecting herself to it and she wanted to hit something. Leaning forward to fold her hands together on the surface of the table, she said softly, "I'm quite capable of deciding what I want for myself. And anyway, I'm not particularly hungry."

Both men glanced her way, but not at her quietly assertive statement. It was overshadowed by the traitorous fabric of her dress, exposing a thin runway of skin down her front, between her breasts. She almost sat back again to wrap her cloak around herself. One of the Knights of Ren had used her well-endowed body to distract her enemies and make her kill, and Rey did _not_ want to emulate her now. But she made herself endure it this one time, both because she was curious to see what would happen, and because the subtle shudder that ran through Ben made her feel fluttery and warm.

He quickly looked away again, his gaze turning out towards the scattering of quiet patrons in their deep discussions. The director's gaze lingered, his annoyance and even his very thoughts wiped blank.

"I need to commission a new design, Cedris" Ben announced, returning them to the business at hand.

The now-named director grinned and tore himself off from appraising Rey. "Ah, now for the meat of it. A new one, you say?"

Ben gave a single curt nod. "As big as the latest Bigger, even."

"Bigger?" Cedris' eyes grew wide. "The _Mega_ -class held over two million, and you want _bigger?"_

Ben nodded. "It needs to house five to seven million."

Cedris turned to Rey now, shaking his head. "See? I told you. Don't bother with him. This man is utterly mad."

Rey laughed lightly. "Why? What is it that he wants you to make?"

"A ship. Or a planet, more like." He chuckled. "You see, my darling, I'm the director of Kuat-Entralla Engineering. We make all the important ships in the galaxy, and own all the most important shipyards. We've been around for ages, dating back to the first Republic, before the Empire."

Rey gave him a deeply impressed look. "That's a big job."

"Hmm, you'll find out just how big later," he laughed.

Ben cut in quickly, flaring with anger again. "Lofty claims for a mediocre scrub of a man."

Cedris drew himself up in indignation. "What gives you the right to say that? Have I not delivered exactly what your masters have ordered every time? Did I not create the galaxy's first and only Mega Destroyer?"

"Only after much protestation, which no doubt you're about to repeat now."

"Five million people, you say?" Cedris fired back. "I can't do it, friend. No one can. It absolutely can't be done."

"Why not?" Rey asked curiously. "If you made one big enough to hold two, why not five?"

"My dear, the sheer scale of that! Not even the Death Stars, first or second, held so many."

"Oh." Rey glanced at Ben, and he at her. Her attention shifted in obvious intrigue and she oriented herself towards him. "Looks like he can't do it. So, messenger, what's your name and what exactly is your rank? You must be pretty high up the chain of command."

"Wait, wait." Cedris cleared his throat, radiating with jealousy. "I didn't say I couldn't do it."

"You did," said Ben.

"Well, I meant to say I _wouldn't_ do it. Though, I could." He looked at Rey again hopefully.

She turned towards him again. "If you can, why wouldn't you? Its a big contract, isn't it?"

He made a disgusted sound. "Didn't you hear about what happened to the last Mega Destroyer I built for them?"

She shook her head.

"They wrecked it!"

"A suicidal radical destroyed it," Ben corrected.

Between the two Force users churned the memory. The white hot pain piercing them both as they tore their hearts apart, tearing the lightsaber and themselves apart in the process, even as Holdo and the _Raddus_ sundered everything else. The flash of light, the wrenching grief, the carnage and burning upon waking. And loss.

But Cedris didn't know he was in the company of two survivors of that devestation. And Rey was happy to pretend she'd never heard of it.

"One person?" She let him hear the skepticism. "One person wrecked a ship big enough for two million?"

"I'm shocked you haven't heard. Sweet, innocent girl. I hate to be the one to offend your delicate sensibilities, but you deserve to know the atrocious truth. The rebel in question jumped a Mon Calamari cruiser straight through the Destroyer."

"Jumped? Like they crashed?"

"No!" Cedris' eyes bulged wider still. "She jumped to _hyperspace_! Right through the ship!"

Rey indulged him with a little shocked gasp and a wide look at Ben. He watched her impassively, though the channel between them hummed with amusement. She let a hand drift to her mouth in horror.

 _Laying it on a little thick?_ she wondered.

He gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of his head.

The droid returned with their food and spread it before them. Both dishes smelled great, and Rey had been lying when she said she wasn't hungry. Ben's came on an oiled slab of grey-blue wood and featured a variety of fruits, cheeses, and meats. He slid it towards her and addressed Cedris again.

"The First Order will pay whatever it costs. From what I've heard, you've fallen on rather difficult times yourself and could use the work."

Cedris slurped one of his oysters with a grunt of acknowledgement. When he'd swallowed, he said, "This group claiming to form a new government — they're refusing to partner with us to furnish a fleet. In no small part because our business with your people." He shot Ben a steely look.

Rey clucked softly. "Well that isn't fair, is it? You're just trying to make a profit."

"Exactly," he said, smiling and putting a hand over hers again. "You understand, don't you, pet?"

"I assure you, whatever you might have made off those mongrels will be well compensated if you accept this commission," said Ben, glancing at the touch.

"And what if you fail, eh? Because the way things are going now, your lot seems to be losing ground quickly. I hear rumor they're all retreating into the outer rim. You think a bigger ship will win you this war? Pah! You know what I think? I think I build you this beast, you lose anyway, and then the new, _new_ Republic still won't work with us because we supported you even when the writing was on the wall. Tell me, puppet-boy, how is that good business?"

Ben's temper flared, and Rey knew that not long ago this man would have been choking on the floor for saying something like that to him. Instead, he balled his hands into fists and drew in a long, steadying breath.

"What?" Cedris taunted. "Are you going to threaten to go to a competitor? No one can build what I can. No one will build you something in the scale you want. Without me, you have no options. And guess what, friend? You don't have me."

Ben smirked, sitting back. This cockiness on the director's part had amused him and taken the edge off his irritation. He turned to Rey, dark eyes glittering in a way she had come to recognize as his version of mischievous.

"Madam, do you know much about the history of Imperial ships?"

Rey shook her head, selecting a strange fig from off the slab before her.

Ben explained. "Kuat-Entralla Engineering was once the biggest shipbuilder in the galaxy, but they were not the first. While they did get very rich off the Empire, and they have profited from both the old and new Republics, _and_ the First Order, they have not been the only, or the best, sources of military technology."

The fig was sweet, but in a way that stung her lips and made her tongue tingle. Like spicy, but…not. She entertained herself with trying to find the exact way the describe it so as to appear appropriately disengaged. Her gaze flicked back to Ben idly. "So who made ships before them?"

Ben's mouth twitched, toying with the idea of a smile, as he watched her attend to her fig. "The Geonosians."

"The _Geo_ …!" Cedris sputtered, his whole body jerking with revulsion and hatred at the sound. "Those bugs! You must be desperate if you're thinking of threatening me with them!"

Rey shifted away from Cedris and towards Ben, once again bestowing her obvious interest on him. "I heard the Geonosians were gone. Wiped out."

"The Empire tried," Ben conceded. "But with some rebel aid, a few survivors managed to reestablish a colony, and they're thriving again after only a couple generations. And word is, their technological developments are better than ever. They designed and built the first Death Star. I'm certain they would be eager for a commission as large as I seek."

"The money would probably help them rebuild," Rey said sympathetically.

"No, no, stop that," Cedris demanded, grabbing her hand again to pull her attention away from Ben. "Enough."

She deftly slipped out of his grasp. "Are you upset? But I thought you said you couldn't do it?"

The director looked deeply unhappy. "No, dammit, for the last time I didn't say I _couldn't—"_

"You did," said Ben again.

"Agh!" He shoved his half-eaten plate of oysters away in disgust. "If course I can do it—"

"Really?" Rey sat up, eyes growing wide, smile growing wider. She leaned towards him. "Can you really? Build a ship for five million people?"

Cedris' eyes darted to her lips, then her neck, then her chest. He blinked, smiling a little despite his frustration."I can, darling, don't worry. And I will. We'll take this fool's money, even if his organization is about to go belly-up. We'll survive just as we've always done."

"And if they don't," she purred, "you'll guarantee they never think about Geonosians ever again."

He chuckled, scooping up an oyster off the now-distant plate and holding it out to her. "You're a bit more intelligent than I first gave you credit for, my sweet."

She took it, but set it on the slab of wood before her and reached for her glass of fizzing water instead. It was vile, to be honest, but she'd remembered what Ben had said about alcohol dulling her Force sensitivity and water seemed like her safest option. Ben didn't touch his own glass, she noticed.

"So," Cedris said, glancing at Ben once more. "I assume you want the same armaments and amenities as on the Mega?"

Ben gave him a single, short nod. "More civilian comforts than the other, but yes. We will send you a file containing the brief."

"Fine, fine." Cedris waved him off, returning his attention to Rey. "When I get that, I'll send you the bill."

Rey smiled and picked at the fruit again. She didn't have to pretend to be pleased. This business of flirting had gotten a little easier, and a little more fun, as she'd gone along. And the waves of satisfaction rolling from Ben told her he was pleased with the outcome of this little meeting as well. The Force hummed happily between them, strengthened in their unity, bright with shared purpose.

"My dear, shall we take a turn by the jeweler before we head up to my room? Such a pretty throat as yours begs to wear something as dazzling as your eyes." Cedris lifted her hand and pressed a wet kiss against her knuckles.

Ben stood, holding his own hand out to her other side in offer. "Actually, miss, you strike me as someone who could be useful in the coming engagements. Perhaps I could interest you in one of the races about to begin, and we can talk further?"

She blushed and gave Cedris an apologetic look. "I've never seen a fathier race. Forgive me? I'll find you again later?"

The man's grip slackened along with his jaw as Rey shyly took Ben's hand and slid out on his side of the bench. They turned, leaving Cedris speechless and outraged at the table. Ben tucked her arm into the crook of his and led her out of the private lounge. She felt a mutual thrill run through them, instigating a quiet laugh in her and swell of smugness in him. They swept through the crowded, euphoric casino as if floating on air. For the first time since arriving, she felt like she belonged among this blissed out crowd. Triumphant, sly, alive.

Playing with the Force in a way that had nothing to do with the Jedi faith. Did that make her careless with her gifts? Luke probably wouldn't approve. The Jedi Council of old for sure would not have. For some reason, this made her more excited than contrite.

* * *

Ben led her through the sea of riotous prosperity, towards a dimly lit terrace. It overlooked the murmuring sea below, waves stretching out against a sandy beach while stars kept watch in a studded black dome above. A cool breeze rustled his hair and hers, bringing with it the scent of sea and desert beyond. Rey tingled with pleasure. It smelled like home, except sweet and humid and soft.

She slipped her arm out of his to lean on the railing, savoring the brush of night and the happy feeling of everything set right again.

"Rey," Ben murmured, breathing that single syllable as if it were a prayer.

She turned to him, so stunningly royal in his fine grey suit. The same man she'd adventured with on Naboo, on Jakku, on a little nameless moon, and throughout the stars. Yet, somehow, not. Why was it different, after only a couple days apart? Was it this place? This surreal setting?

He lifted a hand as if to touch her bare arm, but dropped it again, hesitating. "This... is an interesting dress."

"Your mother," she said, smiling. "She insisted."

"And you allowed it?"

She laughed. "Ben, it's futile to resist Leia Organa when she's got a plan. You should know that."

He moved to lean on the railing beside her, grinning just a little. "I do know that. It looks nice, though. How do you feel about it?"

"I can't wait to get back into my own things again, but it's alright for one night." Through his mind, and then through hers, flashed the image of her in the all-too-revealing nightdress loaned to her by the Naberrie relatives after the battle of Theed. He quickly cut the thought off before she could see what might follow that memory, but she could guess. She'd hated that garment with every fiber of her being, slippery and vile and utterly open in the back as it was. This red dress, however low cut and flirtatious, was tolerably sturdy. It didn't feel like it was about to slide right off her body and puddle on the floor.

 _Too bad_.

Ben looked quickly away, chagrined that he'd accidentally let that thought slip into their shared mindspace, and that she'd heard it. She cleared her throat and quickly moved on to another topic before she could decide what the little leap inside her meant.

"So...your mother isn't where we left her."

He expelled a soft breath of relief, which turned into a slight chuckle. "Of course she isn't. Where did you find her?"

This was definitely safer territory. Rey relaxed enough to flash him a teasing grin. "Where do you think?"

"Theed," he guessed. "Showing the city officials how leadership is supposed to look in times of crisis."

She laughed again. "Exactly."

Ben hummed his amusement, daring to glance at her again now that she'd given him a pass for his slip of thought. It felt good to be with him here, in this absurdly beautiful place.

Except...

That sense of disquiet surfaced again, taking the edge of her happiness for just a moment. She looked around, puzzled.

Ben watched her in that intense way he always did. "What is it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Something. I can't quite put my finger on it…"

He lifted his head, scanning the terrace, and she felt the Force around him roll in searching waves. For a moment, she regretted saying anything. The moment was temporarily derailed, and she wanted to pull him back. To feel his gaze on her again, heated and adoring, the way it was a moment ago.

"The Force is doing strange things here," Ben acknowledged, perplexed. "Perhaps our presence is disrupting it somehow."

"It's been pestering me since I arrived." Maybe he could help her figure it out. He had a lot more experience than she did in the Force. Perhaps he could translate the signal better. Besides, she liked having a goal to pursue with him.

He glanced back at her. "Is that what you want? To investigate this together?"

She blushed. A few days apart and they'd _both_ already forgotten how integrated into each other's minds they were. "I think so."

He'd maybe had other ideas of how the evening would go, but if so, he set them aside easily and offered her his arm again. She slipped her hand into his elbow, letting him escort her once more. They blended in with the other couples as the two of them strolled along the railed perimeter of the terrace. To outsiders, it looked as if they were simply enjoying the night. No one would know by looking at them that they secretly projected outward with their mirrored Force senses, following the strange pattern of the energy around them.

It wasn't an altogether unpleasant away to spend the dazzling night, actually. They explored the vast reaches of the casino and its various entertainment venues together, savoring the soul-deep contentment that came from being in one another's company, sometimes commenting at the strange sights all around them. Rey told Ben about the shenanigans that had gotten Finn and Rose banned from ever setting foot back on Cantonica, and why some of the city was still being rebuilt a year after their brief, disastrous visit. All things considered, Canto Bight had recovered rather well in the time frame, but then, the resources it had were considerable.

"All that to find someone who could sneak them onto the _Supremacy,_ " Ben commented, amused. "A heavily fortified, innovative, impenetrable military vessel you managed to ship yourself onto without issue."

Rey laughed a little. "Yeah, well, you knew I was coming, and I think they were trying very hard to avoid that exact reception."

"Probably for the best."

"Yes," she agreed. "Voluntarily surrendering wouldn't have worked out for them the same way it did for me."

Ben stopped, turning to stare at her with an expression she'd never seen. Not quite anger, not quite fear. " _Worked out?_ Rey, you almost died."

"But I didn't." She stepped back, surprised and a little defensive. "You saw to that."

"But—" He stopped himself, jaw clenching and unclenching. Trying again, he said in a lower voice, "You were tortured. You weren't safe with me. I let him do that to you. It wasn't — Coming to me, it wasn't the best plan. You should have listened to Luke. None of that would have happened to you if you had."

Rey hadn't realized until this moment how much guilt and anger Ben still carried about what happened in Snoke's throne room. It surprised her. She didn't blame him at all. He couldn't have intervened until exactly the moment he did. They both knew that. It was a desperately dangerous situation. Pressing into him, she reached up and caught his collar, tugging him so he was forced to look at her at eye-level.

"Ben. You couldn't have stopped it. I don't regret anything that happened on that ship. I'm glad I went. It was a necessary step to getting here. You do see that, right?"

Ben took her hands and pulled them away, pushing them down gently. "Sometimes, I still have nightmares about watching him do that to you."

She swallowed, her stomach tightening. He did?

Her voice was soft and small when she said, "I get them too..."

She hadn't told anyone about that. Had never said it out loud. And she'd kept it buried deep enough that even Ben couldn't sense it when they were together. Apparently, he had too.

The Force _twisted_ , as if yanked from somewhere else. They both looked up, and Rey was the smallest bit grateful. This revelation was…was something she'd have to think about later. The knowledge that Ben relived the same horrific thing she did — it moved her. But she didn't want to face the emotional fallout of that right now, so it was good they had something else to do.

By now they had made their way down to ground-level, and were behind many of the buildings, near the derby track. The smell of animal must permeated the air, signaling just how far they'd wandered from the glamorous world above.

Reaching an alley that split in two, they felt the Force suspended, tugging equally in either direction. It was much stronger now. It felt like the same, steady current it always did — just pulled a little off course by something influencing it. And there was something else too. A flavor of...happening.

They glanced at each other. Ben nodded to the right. Rey understood the silent cue that they should split up to investigate each path. She grinned and gave him a little flick of her wrist in a parting wave.

Then they went, each moving away from one another as they explored opposite passageways crammed between buildings. A faint thread of consciousness kept them tethered, though it grew more muted with distance.

Rey didn't know what they were looking for besides something that influenced the Force. Maybe a kyber crystal was somewhere in the area. Or, possibly, another Force user. That gave her a thrill of fear and excitement. After the death of the Knights of Ren, she'd sort of assumed she and Ben were the only ones left. If there was someone else...

As she rounded a corner and paused in a tight area at the corners of a few different lofty buildings, waiting and listening, a cold chill swept over her heart and a sense of danger erupted around her.

Her hand twitched towards her waist — but her lightsaber wasn't there. Leia had advised her that it would be too obvious clipped to a belt like a blaster, and it would ruin her aesthetic. They'd brainstormed other options and ultimately decided on a thigh holster. Leia had used one before with a blaster, and it didn't take much modification to get it to work for a lightsaber.

Rey didn't reach for hers now, buried there against her inner thigh, but kept it firmly in her mind as she edged forward into this surging sense of peril. Some malevolent presence had entered the stage and drowned out all perception of the missing Force influencer. Or, maybe, it _was_ the missing Force influencer and she was about to come face to face with a powerful Darkside user. That would be interesting. She thought about alerting Ben through the now hushed channel of their minds, but decided to wait just a moment longer.

This alleyway was crowded, she decided. Someone else was here.

Eventually she stopped short as a figure emerged from the shadows, furious, drunk, and leering.

"Director?" Rey said, surprised.

Cedris didn't look as cool and composed as he had earlier. Now his face was twisted into a mask of hate and rage, his blue eyes icy. Evil intent rolled from him like a shroud. "Hello, little pet."

Rey blinked. She wasn't afraid or the least bit worried. Just perplexed. Was he really such a poor sport when it came to rejection?

"Alcohol," she heard herself chiding. "See what it does to you? I'm sorry, Director, I think you've had too much. Maybe you should call it a night."

She'd seen this kind of maliciousness before, in the glassy eyes of drunk, mortally corrupt human scavengers on Jakku who looked at her like a piece of meat to devour. He wasn't much of a threat. She could have dispatched him easily with her quarterstaff, if she had it on her now. A lightsaber would be excessive and unnecessary.

"Am I too old for you, little snake?" He sneered, stalking towards her a few steps. "Is that it? You were too tempted by the sight of a younger man?"

Younger, stronger, far better looking, sweeter, kinder and infinitely more dangerous. But Rey didn't point any of this out to him.

"Have you been following me?" she demanded, not even trying to put on that awkward disguise of coy and flirtatious again. She let her glare turn cold and her voice even colder.

"You and that First Order mongrel, gliding around here as if you own it all." He gestured wildly around them. "Well you _don't_. And I don't have to fulfill that contract, unless you fulfill yours to me."

Rey gathered the Force in around her in preparation, braced for the moment when he compelled her to hurt him. "We didn't have a contract."

"But we did. You teased me. You made promises with your body, you wretched minx, and you _will_ keep your promises."

Gross. He sounded like an adult talking to a child. Rey bristled with indignation, and that made the Force whip and crackle in the promise of a sharper sting. She probably should have made herself find a more serene, unaffected angle to approach this confrontation.

"Hey!" A sharp voice cried out, startling them both.

Down the street came barreling a girl with smooth, dark brown skin, fine sapphire tunic, and a cascade of eclectically decorated braids. She drew a blaster from a black belt at her waist and leveled it at Cedris. "Get away from her, you karking rapist."

Cedris withdrew a blaster of his own in a flash and pointed it right at Rey. It wobbled a bit in his drunken grip, but his angry shriek was clear. "You fire, I fire!"

Before either of them could fire, Rey let go of the tightly coiled energy around her. It sprang outward in a powerful blast, knocking Cedris off his feet and bowling him backwards into the ground. His blaster went flying.

"Whoa!" The other woman cried, dashing forward to snatch it up quickly. She snapped it to her belt, then turned around to give Rey a crazy look. "What was that? You packing some kind of sonic pulse weapon?"

Rey shook her head. She walked towards Cedris, gasping on the ground.

"You're..." he choked. "You're one of them...aren't you? Just like that freak in the mask. You're the new hound."

Rey's head tingled with sudden awareness seconds before Cedris, wild with fear now, snatched out a second, tiny blaster pistol and fired directly at her.

She flinched, but the missile didn't touch her. It hung there in the air, suspended in a streak a few inches away from her. Ben emerged from another alleyway, hand outstretched, expression full of murder as the Force boiled around him in dark waves.

Cedris screamed and scrambled backwards.

Rey stepped out of the way of the missile. Ben came up beside her, letting it go streaking past to collide with a wall in a shower of sparks and smoke and charring.

"We're both hounds, Director," she corrected with relish.

Ben threw forth his hand again and the Force surged. It pulled Cedris to his feet, dragging him forward. Ben's fingers closed around the director's throat. "Do we have a problem here?"

Cedris whimpered, clawing at Ben's hand as he tried to shake his head.

"Perhaps I should take my offer to the Geonosians after all," Ben threatened through gritted teeth, soft and low.

"No need. He'll do it," Rey said, taking the second pistol out of Cedris' hand and throwing it, without looking, to the woman still standing a few feet away. "He'll do it because he knows that if he doesn't, we will come after him. There's no where in the galaxy he could run where we couldn't find him."

Cedris paled, despite his increasingly purple hue, and squeaked an assent.

Ben let him go and he crumpled to the ground whimpering.

"Do we have a deal, director?" he asked.

Cedris nodded, clutching at his throat. He scrambled to his feet and limped away as quickly as he could, oozing a trail of terrible fear behind him. That was good. Rey knew the fear would bind him to his word.

Ben watched him go, then turned to her and asked rather gently. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Rey assured him. "Glad you caught that blaster shot though. You have to show me how to do that."

He smiled a small Ben smile.

"Anyway, I had some help." She turned and they both looked at the other woman, who stared at them as if they'd just turned into a pair of banthas right before her eyes.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

This is entirely too much fun. I'm enjoying myself immensely. Also, big, goofy fluff coming up next, because what are we all here for, if not some Reylo feels? That chapter should be up by this weekend.

In other news, I'm finally putting DFN;DFL on Wattpad and AO3.

Comment Responses:

 **XxEviexX:** YESSSS! I love Bloodline! It's maybe my favorite out of all the new canon books. Last Shot was so good too, though. I read Lost Stars by Claudia Grey, and it was okay. Not as great as Bloodline. That is a huge coincidence that you happened to be reading that part! :D I love it.

 **Ema Marsel:** I won't! I promise!

 **engineerwenlock:** So many fun planets to explore. *furious Kylo voice* More! MOAR!

 **Guest:** Thank you so much! I don't have a lot of talent for art, sadly, but I may attempt or maybe commission something for Court. The more I write her, the more I love her.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE: Bonfire

* * *

 **Ben Solo**

* * *

"Court?"

Ben didn't quite comprehend the whole scenario that had unfolded before his eyes. First, that laser-brained, horndog director had tried to _kill Rey_ , but now, bizarrely, Court Kursa was involved in this whole affair, looking surprisingly elegant. He'd expected to find a pirate in fancy clothes, but she cleaned up rather well. At least she'd taken his advice and tried to blend in, although running around pulling blasters on people hampered the effect a little.

She blinked at him, brow furrowing. She seemed even more flabbergasted by this upheaval of events than he did.

Ben glanced at Rey, and then at Court again. "What are you doing down here?"

An incredulous laugh burst from her, but she cut it off quickly, shaking her head and falling back a few steps. "Me? You're asking about me? After that crazy show you two just pulled? I think _I'm_ the one who gets to ask questions, boss."

"You two know each other?" Rey sounded surprised.

"This is Court Kursa," Ben sighed, motioning. "She's our pilot. Court, this is Rey, my—"

"Yeah, your creepy voodoo-magic, sonic-blasting girlfriend. I got it," Court interrupted. "Only, you called her your _affiliate_ before, so you can see why I feel a bit misled here. I didn't know I was signing up for some sorcery shit when I accepted this offer, Solo."

Rey startled at the sound of Ben's last name, tossing him an inquiring look as she moved away from him and towards the other woman. "Sorry to scare you. It isn't sorcery. It's just the Force. We don't use it to hurt people...usually. Thank you for what you did for me. You didn't even know me, yet you tried to help."

"I got a thing against rapists. Don't read into it," she muttered, shrugging and holstering her newest weapon. "Looks like you had it handled by yourself, though."

"Court," Ben prompted again. "What are you doing down here?"

"Well, I was watching the races and enjoying myself, like you said, when I noticed that the whole thing is kinda rigged. So I've been poking around trying to figure out how the house fixes it in their favor. I was down here to check out the digs they got these animals in, when I saw something going down. I didn't know I was walking in to some Skywalker Jedi nonsense, though."

Ben still harbored a strong distaste for his uncle's legacy, and it irritated him that everyone, including Court, knew that name and associated it with the Force, even after Luke's death. The Force was so much more than cowardly, hypocritical _Luke_. But Rey laughed, dispelling some of the cloudiness that had arisen at this reference to his would-be-murderer.

"We didn't mean for that to happen. We were down here looking around too. That guy just showed up," she explained.

Court shook her head. "This place. Pretty on the surface, pretty messed up underneath."

"I know." Rey grinned. "It's the strangest place I've ever been." She turned. "Did you find anything before all this started?"

Ben shook his head. The feeling that something was amiss remained, but he was no longer eager to pursue it. At least, not tonight. The hour was obscenely late and he was tired of sharing Rey with the rest of Canto Bight. He wanted to be themselves again, together, alone. Even now, though he had been eager for Rey and Court to meet, he found himself weary and ready for the encounter to end.

Rey sensed this. She touched his arm lightly. "Hey, it's late. I'm tired. We can keep looking around in the morning."

Court gave them both a dismissive wave. "You two go somewhere nicer. Safer. I'm going to keep poking around down here."

"Just be careful," Rey warned.

Ben snorted, even as Court laughed. "I may not have the special _talents_ you have, but I can handle myself."

Rey nodded. "I believe you."

"Are you still in for this job, or did we scare you off?" Ben asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

She glanced at him and shrugged. "Will I still get paid?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll see you in the morning. I found the shuttle, by the way. You've got a whole crew of troopers milling around it. You know, you should make them roll with you, if running around and picking fights with scumbags is your thing."

Rey grinned. "Thanks for the advice. It was good to meet you, Court."

The girl's iron expression gave way for just a moment, and Ben thought he saw a flicker of genuine friendliness there. "Yeah, you too, sonic. Tag along with me on my next fight. We'd clean up."

She turned to saunter away, tossing over her shoulder as she went, "See you tomorrow, bossman."

Rey smiled fully and glanced at him. A glimmer of mischief illuminated her complex eyes. "I like her."

"I thought you might."

He let his gaze wander over the features of her face, his favorite architecture in the galaxy, and thought about how that missile might have felled her had he been even a second too late. Dark, stormy swells shadowed his mood. He stepped in close, reaching a hand to catch her chin between his thumb and forefinger, angling her face up to him. "Rey, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," she insisted again.

This woman had a troubling nonchalance towards attempts on her life. Ben was both frustrated and charmed by it.

"I was never in any real danger, except for that one shot. I've handled myself just fine against a lot worse than him, thank you very much."

That one shot, though. Ben sighed and took her hand, finding no resistance as he led them back the way they'd come. He had been very close to the source of the disturbance when every alarm bell in his heart and mind began to sound, a sense of desperate urgency seizing him and driving him down the path Rey had taken. He arrived just as Cedris squeezed the trigger. A moment later, and she would have been hit.

He shuddered.

"Hey," Rey said, jostling their joined hands. "It's alright."

He knew it was, of course, and his mother's warnings about becoming too fearful of loss rang through his mind like a headache, but right now it was hard to pretend he hadn't just watched someone try to kill his other half. He exhaled, looking for something to lighten the mood.

"Look," said Rey, nudging him and pointing to an outdoor lounge where a Twi'lek woman was singing a smooth, jazzy lullaby to a transfixed audience. On the stage with her was a band of assorted lifeforms, playing instruments Ben did not recognize. The Twi'lek, though, he did. It was the same who had solicited him earlier.

Rey tugged him that direction and found a vacant table.

"Can we stay for a minute? I've never heard anyone sing before. At least, not well."

He nodded, sinking into the seat across the table from her. Signaling a serving droid, he ordered them two non-alcoholic drinks and then sat back to watch the show. The Twi'lek was good, objectively speaking. He motioned to her. "She offered to buy me a drink. Before you arrived."

"Really?" Rey laughed. "And you said no?"

"I did."

"She might be someone very famous."

"Perhaps." He wouldn't know. Ben hadn't kept up with cultural, or musical trends. He glanced around at the other tables. Some of them were small, like the one he and Rey occupied. The people sitting at them sipped drinks and watched the performance. At other, larger tables, however, games of cards and dice were afoot. Unlike the main floor of the casino, the gamblers at these were more quiet and reserved, respecting the singer and regarding one another with cool suspicion.

After the singer had finished with her song, she took a brief pause to drink some water before the percussion began to tap out the beat of her next tune. Rey's attention broke at this interim and returned to Ben.

"Court is from Pamarthe?"

He nodded. "It took me a few days to find a worthy ally, but I believe she will be."

Rey sipped her drink. "She's going to raise eyebrows among your commanders."

"I know. So will the new armor for the guards." The message he intended to send was loud and clear: _I trust none of you, so I've brought my own people_. His gaze flicked to her, and he added quietly, "and you. You'll raise eyebrows too."

The song started up again, and Rey, flashing him a tiny smirk, left the conversation dangling to turn and watch. Ben tried to focus, but his thoughts were pulled too many directions. He didn't feel satisfied, letting Cedris off so easily for his intended, and attempted, crimes. Some further action might be needed, but he'd have to think about it later. His mind was also preoccupied with the task ahead of them when they finally assembled their crew tomorrow and headed off to the rendezvous point. Returning to his position of power at last.

And perhaps most distracting of all, he couldn't stop glancing at Rey's hair, or her dress, or her lips. He felt weak. Human. At his core, as pathetically male and subject to feminine wiles as the dimwitted director had been.

* * *

Eventually, the Twi'lek ended her concert and they departed.

Despite the absurd hour, Ben couldn't feel less like sleeping. As he escorted Rey to her room, he found himself trying to conceal a great deal of reluctance. Cedris' attempt, however futile and easily deflected, still lingered in his mind, disturbing him and making him unhappy to leave her for the night. Perhaps it was a selfish urge, which he well recognized. As she'd said earlier, she had handled herself through worse situations than that — some of which Ben had witnessed himself. But the displeasure still bubbled around in him, beneath the surface, in a place he tried to keep her from sensing.

Then again, maybe some of his reluctance was leaking from her too, because when they paused to part, she lingered and lifted her gaze to him. She chewed on her lower lip in deliberation. He watched, trying to think of something to say.

"Um...Ben?" she asked, voice so soft and vulnerable, the single syllable conveying more than poets ever could. The rest of her question finished somewhere in his heart, tugging from her own. She didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to go to her own room.

Just like he'd imagined earlier.

And just like earlier, he was powerless to protest. Not with those eyes. Not with that dress. Not with the echoes of her yearning pulsing through him with every heartbeat.

So he didn't even need to reply. She felt his answer and smiled a little, sliding her hand into his, interlacing their fingers together. Such a small hand in his own. Such a deadly one, too. The animal within him stirred into awareness again. He pulled her towards his room, drawing slow, measured, calming breaths as he went. It would be very, very difficult to keep his distance tonight.

They got into the room and he quickly closed the door. She let go of his hand to drift around the enormous space, looking at everything.

"This city isn't real," she said with a little laugh, glancing back at him. "It can't be. This is some bizarre dream, right?"

"Finn and Rose thought it was real enough to destroy," he murmured, lingering by the door while she opened up the balcony and let in the sweet night breeze.

Ben found himself inexorably drawn to her, drinking in the sight of her poised against the illumination of the city below, turning to look at him in that way. As if he were her equal, instead of her enemy. As if he mattered. She, an impossible contradiction, a powerful vessel of the Force composed of malice and innocence, of compassion and violence. The only one who could salvage what was left of his soul, because she alone understood his loneliness and the ache of being rejected, unwanted, unimportant.

A song from somewhere below started up, slow and sensual, a different singer crooning lyrics too distant to distinguish. Rey turned and cocked her head, listening. He could feel her fascination, even after sitting in the lounge for so long. She was as enraptured as she'd been before. But Ben didn't care about the curious song, or the singer. He could only think about her, and the way her whole soul took up space in his. He didn't even try to pull himself away, or find a measure of sanity. Everything else could wait. Just for now, he would let this irrational passion wash it all away.

"Ben?" Rey asked, giving him an inquisitive look.

He loved the way she said his name. Had loved it from the first moment she'd uttered it in that turbolift. No doubt she was wondering at the silence coming from his end of the bond. He'd closed himself off to her so that she wouldn't see how foolish he was being in his admiration. So she wouldn't feel how hotly he burned.

Without replying, he allowed himself to go to her, still not giving her the access to his thoughts that she sought, but giving her some of his warmth and affection. He took one of her hands in his and brought the other to the small of her back.

Her gaze darted to their hands, and then to him as he gently maneuvered her into position. She was so pliant under his touch. So trusting.

"What's this?" she asked.

He smiled a little. "Dance with me?"

" _Dance_?" Her eyes widened.

"You do know what dancing is, don't you, feral woman?"

"Yes, I — of course I know what it _is_ , but — you dance?"

"I'm the son of a senator, Rey. Formal functions were part of my upbringing, including balls and galas."

He did not add that he hadn't danced with anyone since he was a youth, before his uncle had taken him away and such things became trivial memories of the past. And he did not add that it was his own mother who taught him. It didn't matter. The minimal experience he had was enough.

"I don't know how," she objected. "I wouldn't even begin to know where to start."

"Just follow my lead," he urged, guiding her other hand to his shoulder.

She grimaced, but allowed him to pull her into step, moving with the sweeps and swells of the music. He tried to remember everything from years ago, but mostly let his instincts instruct him as he held her.

It did not go gracefully. Rey stumbled and tripped often, though his grasp held her steady. She clung to him for support and kept glancing his feet, trying to figure out what he was about to do next. Every time her steps tangled and she fumbled, she laughed. Ben loved that. Even if this wasn't quite as romantic as he imagined, her bubbling laughter infused him with happiness and sometimes he laughed with her.

"I'm very bad at this," she said breathlessly after a minute.

"You're thinking too much. Get in here." He used their two clasped hands, lifting it to his head so he could tap on it with one his fingers. "Like battle."

A light of understanding clicked to life in her eyes, and he felt her consciousness brush against his. In training, they had learned to anticipate each other's moves and work off one another as if they were two limbs of the same body. The same mind. As soon as she tapped into that now, her movements became a bit less halted and resistant. She still wasn't balletic by any stretch of the imagination, but she no longer missed steps. Now she saw where he intended to go right before he did it, and stepped with him.

The music soared, and Ben with it. Soon, it wasn't enough to just dance with her, and he let her hand drop, bringing his other around her waist and hugging her tightly to him, lifting her off her feet.

She laughed again, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

"I was just getting the hang of it," she murmured, but it didn't really sound like a complaint.

He didn't try to reply. Her hair smelled like one of the fragrant oils from the refresher. He closed his eyes and breathed, letting everything about her wash over him.

Eventually, he set her down again, but it was only so he could find a better angle by which to kiss her. And kiss her he did. It still felt as powerful as the first time, dragging him into an exhilarating descent, wrecking his soul along the shore of hers. But it was such a pleasant wreckage. The soft, satiny feel of her small lips set his own ablaze. That tingle wasn't purely emotional, though. It felt like little sparks firing between them. Probably from that Fire Fig she ate earlier. The effects were known to last for hours. He should have warned her about that. Still, her initial jerk of surprise was quickly swallowed up in pleasure.

"I missed you too," she said breathlessy when they parted a few centimeters again. Her fingers played into his hair.

"I never want anything bad to happen to you again because of me," he heard himself say, wincing because it was such a needy, clingy comment to make right now when everything else felt perfect.

Her hands continued, sliding around to the back of his head. "You can't control that, Ben."

Their height disparity meant he was leaning a little, and she was up on her toes. No good. He scooped her up in one swift, abrupt movement. She squeaked in surprise, and then laughed, keeping a firm hold on the nape of his neck as he carried her over to the bed. Setting her down on it, he sat beside her.

Drawing a deep breath, he continued. "I know, and I know you can take care of yourself. But because of me, you've been hurt. Tortured." He took one of her hands, tracing his thumb along the thin white scar snaking across all her fingers. "Cut, caught, wounded. You've almost died a dozen times since we met. I don't think I'm very good for you."

She sighed, which turned into a soft chuckle. "Ben, enough of that. We don't really get a choice, do we? This destiny was chosen for us."

He frowned. "We always have a choice. The Force points the way, but we can turn and find another. We aren't bound to this path."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, then I choose it. Choose _you_. I'm not afraid of dying, and anyway, most of the danger has passed now that the war is done. I want to be with you. Even if you are the one who started all this."

Her teasing eased some of the worry in his chest, but it didn't dissipate completely. The danger hadn't passed. Tonight had proven that. And if officers of the First Order found out she was the same Jedi who had assisted the Resistance, the situation there might get dangerous too. Part of him wished she'd decide to stay with Poe and the others on Couriscant, painful as that would be. He'd endure the separation if it meant she'd be safer.

"Stop it," she said, firmer now. "You don't get to decide that for me."

No. Rey would do what she wanted, regardless of what others thought best. He sighed. So stubborn. Still, that aching place of hunger inside him throbbed with fulfillment, knowing that he'd found someone who would willingly venture into harm's way just to be at his side. For most of his life, he didn't believe such a bond could exist. Not for him.

"Ben?"

He glanced up at her again. The topic had changed sometime in the last few seconds of silence. He felt it like a new scent in the air.

"Will you…" A furious shade of red blossomed in her cheeks all the sudden and she looked away. "Will you do that thing…that you did on Jakku?"

The memory flickered through her mind, drawing more heat into her face. He smiled, amused at her shyness. She could ask him to cut off his right hand for her, and he'd do it, but for some reason referencing that particular physical act made her squeamish?

He began by shifting himself so that his body angled over hers, leaning into kiss her again. That part was perfect. Sinking into the warm blanket of their love felt as deeply satisfying as ever. Especially with that added tingle. Especially the way her body rose up to meet him, reacting to his touch as if it were the thing that gave her life. Stars, he loved that.

What she wanted, though, made him a little nervous. That evening in the AT-AT, the flames of desire had been stoked into a raging bonfire that took a great deal to put out after. And tonight, the way he was feeling, he worried it would be too much. Still, he urged her down onto her back with the lightest touch, and began to investigate the smooth, sweet areas of skin along her neck and collar, the way she wanted. There was a whole lot more of it this time, with this dress giving him better access than her usual garb.

She writhed and knotted her fingers into his hair again — she really liked that, he noted, and mewled as he explored with his lips. It began cautious but soon became fevered. One of her hands found his and led it to the front of her dress, to that plunging neckline, and let go, giving him permission to touch what he had not dared before.

Kriff, that made things so much worse. He knew, despite this fierce overflow of desire, that she wasn't ready for more. And while his body pleaded desperately with him, aching in ways he'd never experienced, tormented with more need than he knew was possible, his mind and heart weren't ready either. Weren't ready to embrace the emotional stakes of that final threshold. He was still so afraid. This thing they had, this…this love…while breathlessly good, and comforting, and empowering, still left him feeling far too vulnerable to immense hurt. She had more power over him now than his parents, or Luke, or Snoke ever had. He wasn't ready to let go of his last defenses yet. No matter how much pain it produced in his deprived, ignored body.

She somehow got him out of his shirt and flipped him onto his back. He'd almost forgotten how remarkably strong she was. Suddenly he was on the receiving end of things, her attentions leaving angry red marks along the skin of his chest. He didn't mind. She'd already left her permanent mark on his flesh, these were just gentle caresses compared to that.

But it was pushing his body to an excruciating level of need, and eventually he pulled her back to give her one more proper kiss, deep, languid, full of the things he didn't have words to say, before he let go and held her away from him.

She understood and slid off, face flushed and skin as similarly marked as his own.

"Maybe I should go sleep in my own room," she said a little sheepishly.

No. Ben didn't want that. "Stay."

Rey cleared her throat, looking down at the ground. "I don't want to make it...difficult. To sleep."

"It's always difficult to sleep." He knew what she meant, but he refused to give it that kind of power over him. He was the master of his body, not the other way around. What was all that grueling training for, if not to teach him how to transcend the physical? "But it's easier with you."

That seemed to touch her. She looked at him with surprise, and tenderness. "Alright," she said after a minute. "But I need to cool down. I'm going to go change, and then I'll come back."

Ben knew that was probably for the best. He needed to cool down too. When she'd gone, he went to the balcony and leaned on the railing, drawing in the balmy night breeze and savoring its medicinal effect on his bruised, heated, tingling skin.

Once, he'd cursed Rey for coming in and ruining his life — for making him feel suddenly dissatisfied with all his previous plans. Now, he was grateful things hadn't worked out the way he'd thought. If Snoke had continued to reign, and Ben had given him everything he sought, they would have come to their empty victory and then...? What? Ben would have nothing. Snoke would have his galactic rule, and his wardog. Ben would have annihilated the remnants of his family and had only darkness and power. Compared to the love of Rey, and the things they had planned for the galaxy, darkness and power seemed utterly worthless.

He'd waited for her for so long. He just hadn't know he'd been waiting.

Ben shivered. He moved away from the window and the gut-wrenching realization that had come on the heels of that thought. It was an action his heart wanted to take, but his head rejected. He set it aside and found his night clothes.

Eventually Rey returned, dressed in the tank top and pants he was now used to seeing her wear at bedtime. She climbed into bed beside him and immediately nestled into his chest, still hungry for affection. Her appetite for it was even more voracious than her appetite for food, which was ordinarily astounding. Ben was pleased to provide it, and let his arm fall asleep beneath her head rather than make her move. He pressed his lips into her forehead.

"Goodnight, scavenger."

She hummed happily against him. "Goodnight, Ben."

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

A somewhat shorter chapter compared to the rest of these, but this seemed like a natural pause. Plus its okay to have chapters of mostly fluff sometimes, right?

Also, how crazy indulgent should this story get? I have an idea that is super, duper, DUPER fan-service-y and not at all realistic, but it's Star Wars, which was never realistic to begin with. Right? I don't know. It's this cheesy idea I have floating around my head that I might work in here just for fun.

Thanks for your reviews! Your feedback gives this story momentum, and gives me LIFE :D

Comment Responses:

 **XxEviexX:** Heh, yeah, he might get his comeuppance at some point. The nasty.

* * *

Major aside, but something that occurred to me earlier today:

So, you know how in Solo (don't worry, it's not really much of a spoiler) Qi'ra tells Han, "I might be the only one who knows what you really are?"

And Han scoffs and is like "and what's that?"

And she says, "You're the good guy."

Remember that? And remember how Han protests and says he is _not_ a good guy?

I was thinking about that in the context of Snoke disparaging Kylo for having "too much of his father's heart" in him.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN: The Painful Cost of Fate

 **Rey**

* * *

Slow awareness trickled into Rey's mind as warmth and light began to heat her face. She turned her head out of the sun, blinking slowly. Ben's arm was slung over her back, heavy but pleasant. He looked impossibly young, eyes closed, face mashed halfway into the pillow, breathing slow and steady.

She snuggled deeper into the bed and sighed in contentment. This was quite a good way to wake up.

Yesterday's wild events seemed more like an amusing dream than real happenings. The little tête-à-tête with Cedris and Ben at the table, the strange — nearly deadly — encounter in the alley, the impossible appearance of a rescuer who turned out to be Ben's pilot. It was almost enough to make her laugh. Though nothing was quite as tantalizing as the memory of what came after. Of Ben, and her, and that ridiculous attempt at dancing...and all of it. After some consideration, she decided it all balanced out to quite a good night. And an exceptionally good morning.

Yet still, something lurked in the back of her mind.

It was a lot like the vague whispering in Ahch-To, both from the Uneti tree and the dark cave. Something was calling her through the Force. Her heart heard it, constant and quiet, pulling always at her. She needed to answer.

Ben grumbled and stirred, fighting the rising dawn of consciousness. His arm across her slid off, tucking beneath him. She chuckled and brushed hair out of his face.

"Morning."

His eyes snapped open in surprise and he jerked his head up, looking at her as if he didn't quite trust that she were really there.

"Did you think you'd dreamed it all?" she asked, grinning.

He nodded, head sinking back down onto his pillow with a soft sigh. "Glad to be wrong."

His hand lifted and tentatively brushed down one of her arms.

She scooted into his chest, nestling herself against him. He rumbled with pleasure and turned, wrapping his arms around her in a kind of bear hug. So possessive. She didn't mind. It felt good to be needed. He still smelled like he had the night before, only now it mingled with the musk of his natural body.

This was extremely pleasant. She could stay like this all morning. Forever, actually.

"Me too," murmured Ben, responding to that thought. "Too bad we have people waiting for us."

"And a feeling to investigate."

"You still want to do that?"

She nodded. "I need to. Don't you feel it?"

"I do, but I think it's bothering you more than it is me."

The implication in that, Rey knew, was that the Force meant it for her, and not necessarily for him. Given the times she's felt such a tug, she worried it was some kind of painful lesson in store that Ben didn't need to learn.

Still, she couldn't leave this place until she'd figured it out.

"Okay," Ben said simply, again reading her thoughts. "We'll go back and keep looking."

Perhaps there would be times when that little habit of camping out in her head became annoying, but right now she was far too content to care. She pressed a kiss into his shoulder. "Thank you."

Even with this plan in place, neither were very eager to leave. So they lingered a moment longer, savoring the warmth of each other and the blissful serenity of being together.

It couldn't last forever, though, and eventually they emerged into a sleepy golden morning, dressed for travel back to the First Order. They'd put on their more ostentatious clothes later. Right now they looked rather simple.

Which wasn't much a problem, given how utterly empty the whole city scene was now. Only a few denizens wandered about — mainly of those species which either slept little or rose with the sun. Everyone else burnt off their late night revelries in the gloom of darkened rooms and deep slumber.

Ben and Rey sat on a sun-dappled terrace, sipping caff and sharing from a plate of fruits, breads, and cheeses.

"I like this place better in the morning," Rey decided, listening to the waves breaking on the shore below. On the beach, a few morning-friendly tourists sat sun-bathing or wading into the water.

Ben murmured his agreement. All the extravagant excess of the night was easier to forget in the light of day. It was almost peaceful.

"Someday, I want to settle in a place like this," Ben said, motioning to the surrounding landscape. "A green place. By a beach. Except with nobody around."

She laughed. It sounded nice, of course, but for some reason she didn't see Ben as the kind to settle in one spot for the rest of his life. He had a restless heart, she was pretty sure. Besides, it was very Luke-ish of him to seek a place where nobody could bother him, but she chose not to point that out.

Instead, she said, "This work you've decided to undertake could last your whole life, Ben. There may not be much time at the end of it to retire."

He sipped at his caff, glancing at her over the rim. Something glimmered in that stare, something which he did not allow her to glimpse through their bond. "Perhaps."

A little screech interrupted them as a tiny creature in fluffy white fur skittered across their table, snatching a grape.

"What the—"

Rey's alarmed exclamation cut short as the tiny primate leapt off the table with its bounty in hand and landed on the shoulder of a familiar person striding their way.

"Court," Ben said mildly, unsurprised.

"Hey," she said, grinning.

Rey still watched the little animal as it wrapped a tail around one of Court's braids and began to nibble excitedly on its prize.

"I see that _thing_ has made a reappearance."

Court flashed Ben a sharp look. "That _thing_ was with me the whole time last night. I just told him to stay out of sight. He helped me win quite a lot of dough, I'll have you know."

"So he helps you cheat, too?" Ben sighed.

Court shrugged. "Whatever gets me the money, boss."

"Her co-pilot," Ben explained when he caught Rey's eye.

Rey laughed. "Co-pilot? Isn't he a little small to fly anything?"

Court smirked. "Trust me, he gets around just fine for his size. Ask your boyfriend, here. He's seen little Jido in action."

"He's not —" Rey stopped her habitual protest, glancing quickly at Ben who watched her with a curious expression. Her stomach twisted and heat warmed her cheeks. Ben hadn't corrected Court when she said the same thing last night. Is that what they were now, then? It didn't seem like the right label, but she didn't really know what else to call it.

"He's…my partner," she finished lamely.

"Sure," Court dismissed, reaching to pluck some food from off their plates. "So what were you guys looking for down there last night, anyway?"

Ben didn't stop the thieving, which surprised Rey a little. "A disturbance."

"A disturbance? Like somebody throwing down? Because you found that."

Rey grinned. "No…it's difficult to explain. We aren't really sure what we were looking for. Just, something influencing the Force in a funny way."

"If I hadn't seen what I saw with my own two eyes, I'd think you were certifiable with all that religious stuff," said Court, shaking her head. "How are you going to find something if you don't even know what it is?"

"I don't know," Rey admitted. "Just a feeling."

Ben radiated with amusement, though his face betrayed none of it. "We're going to look around again this morning before we depart."

"Just be careful. Don't be throwing people around with your minds, cuz you don't know who could be watching. Last night when I left you, I saw some little kid running away from the scene like he was scared of getting caught. Probably really freaked out by what you two did."

"A kid?" Ben lifted a brow.

"Yeah. What kind of parents let their kid run around the streets in the middle of the night, huh?" She shook her head again. "Not mine, I can tell you that for damn sure."

Rey wondered if anyone had thought that about her, running around Niima by herself, sometimes in the middle of the night, looking for a place to sleep. That was before she found her AT-AT and having a place to lay her head at night was sometimes a big problem. Court assumed the child had negligent parents, but more likely he didn't have any at all. Sometimes kids didn't have anyone to put them to bed.

She felt Ben's gaze on her, and glanced up to meet her. Something interested bubbled in the psychic space between them. Intrigued. Suspicious.

Really? He thought the kid was involved with the disturbance?

"Did you see where this child went?" Ben asked.

"Not really," Court said with a shrug. "I wasn't that interested. Is he in trouble because he saw your little secret?"

"No."

"Good, because I swear, boss, magic or no — I'd kill you if you went after a kid just because he saw you being careless."

Rey smiled a little. Few people in Ben's life had ever spoken to him like that and gotten a pass, but he didn't seem the last bit bothered. "We're not like that."

"Good." The monkey on Court's shoulder leapt off for another grape.

Ben was quickly becoming preoccupied with the idea of this kid. Rey could feel his rising impatience and knew it wouldn't be long until he announced they needed to start going. But for her own part, Rey wasn't really sure why the kid seemed as likely a candidate as anything else.

But if he was...what did that mean?

Ben caught her eye again and a wave of reassurance swept from him to her, which only confused her further. He was worried for her. Why?

Court glanced between them at this silence. "Ohhhhkay. So is this the part where you two jump up and say you need to go, and I'm stuck with the bill?"

Ben turned his attention to her. "I've already taken care of everything. You won't have any bill."

"But you are going, then?"

"Yes.

She sighed and got up out of her seat. "At the risk of spoiling the honeymoon, mind if I tag along? If there's going to be some Force thing going down, I wanna watch."

Rey laughed. "Come, but I don't think it will be all that exciting."

They left their morning meal and headed down the quiet streets, sloping their way towards the back alleys and animal pens that had surrounded them the night before. A few more tourists had woken and now milled about in various states of mellow activity. If the night was for showing off, the morning was for caff and contemplation.

The whisperings of the Force grew stronger as they found the same alley from last night, seizing Rey with such power that she surged ahead of her companions, searching intently.

Something was here. Something she needed to see, or do, or learn. It was difficult to know when it came to the Force. And while she was busy wondering what this was all about — why did it affect Ben differently? Based on his attitude now, he seemed to know a little more about it than she did, but yet felt a very different level of urgency. In fact, she detected a great deal of trepidation in him.

The whisperings led her to a small door set into a vast wall. Above loomed the casino. To the side, another vast wall. It smelled strongly of animals here. She tested the door. Locked. Swiftly, before the other two could even ask about it, she'd delved into her side pouch and produced her tinkering tools. Since getting captured and thrown into a closet on Naboo, she never went anywhere without her tools. That was an annoyingly difficult situation, when it could have been much simpler. Locks were only rudimentary machines, and she'd done more than her fair share of picking them to get into the various locked doors in downed Destroyers on Canto Bight.

Court laughed. "She's a real criminal, this one."

Ben said nothing.

The door gave a satisfied little chirp and slid open. Rey tucked her tools away and led them inside. They moved through an empty office, so caked in dust it was clearly never used.

Beyond the office, another unlocked door led to a long, exterior hallway. An exceptionally hideous Cloddogran snoozed in a chair, whip in one of his four hands, a nasty rod in another, and two folded across his ample belly. His face, like all of his species, looked like flesh that had boiled and petrified in that frothy state. Rey's skin crawled at the sight of him, and she felt as if she were gazing on the visage of Unkar Plutt again. The Crolute was a great deal prettier than this nasty piece of work, but they gave off the same attitude.

Here was a bully. Rey hated bullies.

Another whisper of wariness trickled from Ben, and she turned to give him an inquiring glance.

He shook his head.

Court wrinkled her nose at the Cloddogran and moved quickly away.

A soft scuffling sound turned all their attention down the open-air hall and they moved on with quiet footsteps. The hall contained doors a plenty — too many to check before certainly waking the creature by the office. But beyond these doors, the hall gave way to a row of animal pens. The gates to these pens were enormous, so the animals they housed must have been enormous too.

"Fathiers," Ben said, glancing at the race track on the other side of the stable. "Looks like we found the scene of Rose and Finn's crime."

Which explained why most of the stalls were empty.

Little whispers broke the stillness of the place. Three shadows stirred, pushing one forward. A child stepped into view. He wore shabby clothes, a lopsided cap, and bore a telltale gauntness to his face despite the round cheeks of childhood. His skin was the same color as Court's.

The three adults stopped short at the sight of him.

"Is that the kid you saw last night?" Rey asked Court softly.

"Nope." Court slid up beside her and motioned behind. "But I did see that one, back there."

In the darkness of the corridor beyond, the shapes of the other two children were barely visible. Both had lighter skin than the boy glaring at them now. The girl had fiery red hair, the boy in front of her had a cap similar to the other's. They all looked way too thin, Rey noted with a throb of pain.

The first boy crossed his arms over his little chest. "You're trespassing."

The language he used wasn't entirely familiar, but Rey recognized it. A dusty memory of something she'd encountered long ago surfaced.

"We want your friend," she attempted.

The boy jumped back a step, eyes widening in fear for half a second before he squared himself and shook his head. "No."

Ben put a hand on the small of her back and corrected, "We want to _talk_ to your friend."

Rey glanced at him, surprised. He knew this language? Court didn't look bewildered either — did she also know it?

"It's not an uncommon language throughout the galaxy," Ben explained softly. "Those who travel will inevitably encounter it."

Possibly that explained how it had made its way to Jakku. Still, Rey was surprised. She glanced at the boy again. He glowered at them. Brave thing. Her gaze traveled beyond him to the others. The girl was brimming with curiosity, but the other one…the other male…

Ben was right.

The Force, moving through her, moving through Ben, swirled around Court and the other two but the boy — it passed through him as if he were a magnifying glass. She could feel it, as certainly as she could feel it within herself, and within her companion. He didn't blaze like a bonfire in the night like they did, but he burned, bright and certain.

"We aren't here to hurt you," she said softly. "We just want to talk."

The other two children came out of the shadows. The Force-sensitive boy's eyes locked on hers. He knew. He had seen them, and he knew that they were like him. She summoned all her compassion and kindness and let it tinge the energy around her. Hopefully, on some level, he would sense it and know she was sincere.

He moved beyond his friends, despite the other boy's objection, and came to her.

"Hi," she said, kneeling to his level and offering a smile.

He didn't.

Beneath his eyes sank two dark rings. His sallow sink and loose-hanging clothes suggested a life of hard labor and little food. A life she recognized all too well.

"I'm Rey." She didn't really know the first thing about kids. She'd never, ever been around one. But this seemed like a pretty neutral place to start. "What's your name?"

"Temiri," he said very softly. "Blagg."

"Hey Temiri," Court chimed in, crouching down next to Rey. "I'm Court. Is that guy back there your boss?"

He nodded.

"Is he a pretty deep sleeper?"

Another nod.

"Gonna sleep for a while?"

This time, the kid shrugged.

Rey wasn't really sure where Court was going with this, but the way she talked to the boy seemed to be working. He looked at her with a little less caution.

"So, my friends are pretty good at being nice, and they're good at sharing their food. Can we buy you three some breakfast? I bet you're pretty hungry," Court said, motioning to the other two.

The eyes of all three children widened into enormous saucers.

Yes, Rey realized immediately, that was good. The kids needed to eat, and this would be a gesture of good will. She glanced at Ben, who largely ignored the children and watched her with that same strange look. Almost…almost as if he pitied her. What was his deal this morning?

"Okay. You three go with my friends out there to the field where your boss can't hear us talk. I'm going to go get some food and bring it. Yeah?" Court continued, slowly.

Temiri nodded. The other two ran forward, nodding with big smiles as well.

Court grinned. "Okay. I'll be back."

Rey stood and motioned the children to follow her. She headed up the ramp towards the race track. Ben fell into step next to her, silent as ever. The little girl ran up next to him, slid her hand into Ben's, and beamed up at him.

Ben looked down at her. Rey turned to watch, knowing Ben had as little experience with children as she did. They were both wildly out of their element here. This wasn't at all what she'd expected to do when she woke up happy and peaceful this morning.

"What's your name?" Ben asked the girl after a minute. His voice was surprisingly gentle.

"Arashell Sar," she said shyly.

They moved into the brilliant sunlight and off to the side benches where the track hands usually sat to help out with the races. There, they indicated that all three children should sit down. They did, obedient and eager for the promised food.

Rey experienced a sudden onset of awkwardness. What were they supposed to do with the kids until Court got back with food? They all looked at her expectantly, as if she were about to do a trick, or reveal some grand plan.

"Um…" she glanced at Ben, looking for something to say.

"We know his name," Ben said, taking the lead and pointing at Temiri. "And we know her name. But what's yours?"

"I'm Oniho Zaya," said the other boy, pointing a finger directly into his chest. "I'm ten. Arashell is almost twelve. Temiri is ten like me. You never said your name either."

"I'm Ben. Are there other kids here too?"

Oniho nodded. "But most of them are working at the other tracks, on account of we only have a couple Fathiers now. But Bargwill said he'll bring them back when we get more animals again."

Temiri made a soft scoffing sound.

Rey glanced at him. He saw and quickly looked at his shoes, swinging from the bench.

"You don't want to get more animals?" she asked him.

He shook his head. His fingers strayed to a ring on his pointer finger, spinning it nervously. Rey didn't recognize it, but she remembered Rose saying she traded a ring in exchange for some help to a stable boy. Could this possibly be the same one?

"My friends came here one time," she started explaining. "They were in trouble and needed some help. They ended up freeing all the Fathiers. Did you three help them?

Arashell and Oniho illuminated with excitement, nearly bouncing off the bench and competing with one another to confirm the story.

"It was us!" Arashell cried.

"And it was wild!" Oniho laughed. "They busted everything up!"

Arashell giggled too. "It was really great. We liked them. Bargwill was _so angry_! But he didn't know it was us that helped them."

"No, he definitely didn't," confirmed Oniho. "So we didn't get in too much trouble."

Temiri stayed quiet on his seat, giving Ben and Rey both anxious glances.

Rey dug her foot into the dirt idly, awkward again. She'd used up her one and only idea for conversation, and Temiri hadn't taken the bait. He knew he'd been caught, and he was worried he'd be punished for what he saw. She knew this, not because she could read his mind like she could Ben's — his was much more closed off — but because she knew the fears that ran through the mind of a child like him. He was protecting himself. She understood it, but she wanted to get him past it. They needed to talk to him alone.

"Are you all from here?" Ben asked, sensing her loss of ideas. "Are your parents here?"

They all three shook their heads.

Oniho spoke for them, clearly their leader. "They were here once, but they left us. They said they'd come back, but we all know better."

Rey sucked in a sharp breath. A pain like she'd just been punched in the gut shot through her.

"They lost all their money gambling," Arashell elaborated.

"Yeah," confirmed Oniho. "Bargwill pays for kids. He said he'd give them enough to leave if we stayed behind."

"It happened to all of us. Me when I was nine," Arashell sighed.

"Me when I was seven," said Oniho. He looked at Temiri. "Him when he was five. He's been here longer than us."

"Does Temiri talk?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow.

Oniho shrugged. "Not very much. Sometimes, though."

Court reappeared, boxes in hand. She beamed, and Jido, her monkey, bounced excitedly on the top of her head, squeaking and screeching. "Look what I got, little people!"

Arashell and Oniho dashed out of their seats to descend on the food. Temiri flinched their direction, but again gave Ben and Rey a fearful look and stayed rooted to his seat, eying his friends with longing instead.

"Go, eat," Rey urged.

With this permission given, he ran to join the others.

She glanced at Ben. "How did you know, when she said she saw a kid, that he would be the source of the disturbance?"

He frowned. "It usually starts to manifest in childhood. Why do you think the Jedi took children for their academies and temples? Before Luke, Padawans were typically very young when they began training. Younger than ten."

After the kids had eaten and been entertained by Court and Jido, who both seemed more than perfectly comfortable with kids, Rey finally managed to get Temiri to leave and follow her off a little ways. Ben came with. Temiri seemed slightly less frightened now that he had food in his belly and nothing bad had happened so far, but Rey still felt his wariness.

She motioned for him to sit, and then sat beside him.

"So…" she began, trying to emulate the simple, honest way Court spoke to them. "We know you saw us last night. We were dealing with a bad guy."

He nodded.

"And I think you saw us do things that maybe you can do too."

Temiri paused, brow furrowed, and then he shook his head. When they didn't continue, he said reluctantly, "I can't do those things. Lift people up. Freeze missiles."

"But can you do other things?" Ben asked, joining in now as well.

The boy hesitated. "A little."

Rey's heart sped into an excited little rhythm in her chest. Another Force user! And one young enough to have no knowledge of dark or light. One who was just learning about this power growing inside him, and would need guidance. Guidance she and Ben could give.

 _This_ was why the Force called her to him, she was certain of it. Temiri belonged with them. They were meant to train him, and begin a new generation of Force users raised up in a new philosophy. Not a Jedi, not a Sith, not anything except this hazy middle ground she and Ben were discovering together, step by step. Ben was meant to fix the galaxy, and _she_ was meant to find and recruit these young Force sensitives for them to teach. This had to be the answer!

"Temiri," she said softly. "We're like you. We started like you, but the things we learned helped our understanding grow, and now we can do more things. Would you like to learn, too?"

He nodded, eyes widening again.

Ben gave her that strange look again. What was with that damned look?

She ignored it and continued. "We're leaving here today. You could come with us. We could teach you what we know. You'd get to eat every day, multiple times a day, and never have to muck out a stable again. We could give you a new life and help you learn how to use your gifts. What do you think?"

Temiri stood up, a smile breaking over his somber little face for the first time. "Like Luke Skywalker!"

Ben flinched. Rey laughed. "Yes, just like Luke Skywalker. Did you know he was my master? He trained me. And he was his uncle. He trained him too."

The fear in the boy's face was utterly gone, replaced by awe and wonder and excitement. His eyes glittered, and Rey's heart ballooned.

Peals of laughter rang out from the other children, wandering the track with Court and her monkey. Hearing them, Temiri's expression dimmed. His shoulders slumped and he sat back down, shaking his head.

"I can't go with you."

"Why not?" Rey frowned.

He looked at his friends and shook his head again. "I just can't. I need to stay here."

"Temiri —"

"Rey," Ben interrupted. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Was it so he could explain his peculiar mood and bizarre, pitying glances? Because if so, absolutely. And if not, this was bad timing. Rey nodded, puzzled.

Ben glanced at the boy again. "Wait for us for a minute, will you?"

Temiri shrugged.

Together they walked out of hearing distance. When they'd gotten far enough away, he turned and drew a deep breath, bracing himself for the coming conversation. That wasn't a good sign.

"Rey," he began. "Don't convince him to come with us."

"What?" She recoiled. Whatever she'd been expecting to hear, it wasn't that.

"I mean it. I don't believe he should come with us."

"Because of the First Order?" To be fair, that was a good point. Showing up with this random, malnourished child in tow didn't exactly give him a strong, menacing introduction into leadership again. "Your mother might—"

"No."

"You think he needs to stay here?"

"Yes."

"Why?" This was incomprehensible, and a little hurtful. Didn't he feel the confirmation of their destiny here today? This was what they were supposed to do. This was what _she_ was supposed to do.

"No, it isn't," he said, answering her thoughts rather than her question. "I know you want to think that, but it can't be. Not after everything we've learned. You really want to do the whole Master and Apprentice thing? I don't."

"That's not…" she trailed off uneasily. _Was_ that what she'd been thinking of?

"The old ways need to die, Rey, and I don't want to be part of brainwashing another generation into our way of thinking. He needs to explore the Force on his own, and find his own path."

"On his own? How can you say that? How can he find his own path? He's _abandoned_ here. Sold into this life." She heard emotion leaking in to her own voice and hated herself for it. This was no time for emotion.

"I know that." Ben's jaw muscles tightened with his clenched teeth, but they loosened before he spoke again. "It's cruel to leave him in these circumstances, I know, but perhaps he needs them to become the person he is meant to be. As you needed yours."

It was a harsh thing to say. As harsh as the things he used to say to her when this all began. But maybe it was just as true. She raged against it, her heart bursting into pain. Her voice shook more now. "I can't walk away and leave him in this!"

"Rey, he's not you. I know you see yourself in him, but don't project your pain onto him."

"He was _sold_ , Ben! By his parents! Their own son is now paying for their stupidity. He's needs love. You of all people should understand how dangerous and horrible it is to grow up not feeling loved."

"And are you prepared to give him what he lacks, Rey?" he fired back, pressing her hard. "Are you prepared to be his mother? Because that's what he's going to seek from you, what he'll try to make of you. That's what it's going to take to fill the void in his life. He doesn't need a teacher, he needs a mother. Are you going to give him that?"

This struck her into grieved silence, and she fell back a step. Her heart still thundered hard in her chest, pulses of ache with every beat, making her breaths ragged and uneven.

After a moment, she swallowed and said weakly, "I can't…I can't be anyone's mother."

Ben's tone softened now, dropping to a gentler, kinder timbre. "Then don't try to convince him to come. Don't taunt him with what you can't give. Besides, you know better than anyone the need to stay and wait when everyone else thinks you should go. You stayed there for so long, waiting."

The tears fell now, sliding to her chin as she trembled with a broken heart. "All those wasted years, Ben. All that loneliness, and sadness. How can I leave him in that?"

"He isn't alone." Now Ben came to her, pulling her into his soft embrace, holding her pieces together when she felt them falling apart. "He needs to stay for the others. His love for his friends will help him keep away from the dark side. They will help him find his way. Don't take that from him."

But leaving a child in suffering, when she could help. It was too much to bear. Ben's logic was sound, and she felt the Force confirming it more clearly than her own starry dreams of moments ago. But it agonized her. She wept into his shoulder, for her dashed hopes, for her own painful childhood, and mostly for Temiri's fate.

"Why did the Force want us to find him?" She clutched his shirt, wracked with waves of anger and grief. "If we aren't supposed to help him?"

"Maybe you still can. Maybe you're meant to come back here from time to time, to check on him, to give him a little guidance. To let him know he isn't abandoned."

That…was a possibility. At least she could make sure Temiri and his friends had something to eat once in a while, which was more than anyone ever did for her. It would mean she wasn't interfering with his destiny, per se, but still being a resource when he needed it.

"Until he's ready," she whispered.

Ben nodded. "Until he decides his own fate. He may not choose a life of Force devotion, but if he does, you'll be someone he trusts as a mentor — not a master."

"Ben," she groaned.

His arms slid around her tighter. He knew, from the beginning, that she was going to identify too closely with that boy. That she'd want to rescue him. She wanted to be angry at Ben for trying to stop her, but she wasn't. He knew quite well the cost of leaving this child behind in poverty and abuse. He knew the harrowing darkness the soul of this boy would traverse on his path to adulthood. But Ben saw hope in these circumstances, and saw harm in removing the child from the little love he did have.

"We could take them all to your mother," she tried miserably.

He kissed her forehead. "We'll still help them in the ways we can. We have resources, Rey. We can have Court smuggle them a bit of money now and then. When they're ready to take the leap and leave, maybe my mother will have jobs for them."

It wasn't enough to take away the pain of this moment, but it was something to cling to, at least.

She shuddered, miserable and sad. "This is hard."

"I know."

When she'd dried her eyes and steeled her heart against the vulnerable, needy face of the parentless child, they returned to him.

Temiri had been doing thinking of his own. He stood and drew himself up when they approached. He raised his chin and give them, at last, a strong, determined look. "I thought about it more. But I'm not going. I need to stay here."

"We know," Ben said. "But is it alright if we come see you sometimes?"

Temiri melted with relief and smiled, nodding.

Ben knelt down to his level. "Listen. Those things you saw us do — that was the Force. You have it. It's not a power, but a responsibility. It's going to grow as you do, and if you pay attention to the things your heart tells you, you will use it to help many people — including your friends. It's okay to be angry, but always balance it with love. Trust yourself, and trust the Force. Do you understand?"

Hesitating, the boy nodded again. He didn't fully understand, and how could he? But hopefully the words would stay and come to him when he needed them.

Ben reached out and mashed the boy's cap onto his head, mussing it around a bit. "You'll be alright."

A flash of pride came into the boy's face, and his shoulders squared. Ben's unusual display of kind regard had endowed him with a responsibility and purpose. And that, Rey saw, was a gift he'd carry even after they'd gone. Ben had knighted him as a protector of his friends, and he rose with that new mantle.

She lost herself and hugged him quickly, enfolding his tiny body into her arms where he held stiff as a board. "You're not alone, Temiri. I'll come back."

Stars, he didn't believe her. And why should he? She didn't even believe herself, even though she knew she would. They were the emptiest words she knew.

"Temiri," she held him away and stared into his eyes. "I will be here sometimes, and whenever I am, I promise to always come check on you and bring what you need. Your job is to stay alive, and help your friends."

He smiled and nodded. When she straightened again, he slipped his hand into hers. She savored the touch, the feel of his small grip in hers, and tried to will peace into her own heart with the belief that he would be alright.

They reunited with Court and the others, and eventually left the kids to resume their chores, all a bit happier now. Each step away from the stables filled Rey with sorrow, but she went. Ben held her hand the whole way back to the hangar, even with Court there to see.

Court herself must have sensed something, because at one point she glanced at Rey and said, "So you wanted to bring him, huh?"

"Yeah," Rey sighed.

"But you didn't."

"It's not…it's not in his best interest. I know that sounds crazy."

"Not so crazy," Court admitted, "if we're about to embark on a big scam against the First Order. Can't get kids involved in that. But I get it. I wanted to bring them all home to my parents. It's kriffing _sad_ they got left her. What kind of evil parents would sell their kid, you know?"

"Yeah…" Rey said softly. "I know."

Court bumped her shoulder against Rey's. "Hey, bossman said you're my boss too. So if you ever want to come back here, just say the word and I'm there. I'm with you."

"Thank you." Rey's heightened emotions surged with affection.

At the hangar, her troops awaited them in their shining red armor, ready for inspection. She inspected them first, and then Ben swept in behind her. The children and their plight didn't fade from her mind, but she had other things to focus on now. They had a crew, a plan, and a destination.

As they lifted off and left that impossible, glittering city behind, she promised herself to come back soon. She would. But for now, it was time to go back to the First Order.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Sorry, guys. A little pain now and then is good for the soul, you know? I promise we'll get back to fluff soon!

Also, don't let the chapter count fool you. We're about halfway through DFN, by word count, because these chapters are twice the length as the others. For this fic, we're a little more than halfway, by my planning, but we'll see how it all shakes out in the end.

If you have specific things you want to see, specific bits of fluffy fun, let me know.

Comment Responses:

 **XxEviexX:** Glad to hear you enjoyed Bloodline! :D and yeah, I think you're right. I'll play around with all the wacky ideas in this fic, cuz this one is just for fun. (I mean, DFN was just for fun too, but you know what I mean)

 **Nakamagirl6:** Heheheh, glad you caught that hand reference. Don't worry, no robot limbs for this male Skywalker/Solo! That swimming question is an interesting one. She managed to get herself out of that tidal pool on Ahch-To, but I think we could chalk that up to strong survival instincts and a lot of luck, and not a real understanding of how to swim. Now you've got me thinking, though. That might have to come up at some point in the next few chapters!

 **Ema Marsel:** Aw, thanks love! :D

 **jenmarsh:** Haha sorry to make you wait! With my last fic, I'd written ahead so far by the time I started posting, I was able to update really quickly. This one I'm posting as I write it, so it's going a bit slower. Plus life. But I'm grateful you're here for it! And I like it when they sleep in the same bed, too ;)


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Reign

 _And indeed there will be time_

 _To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"_

 _Time to turn back and descend the stair…_

 _[…]_

 _Do I dare_

 _Disturb the universe?_

 _In a minute there is time_

 _For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse_.

-T.S. Eliot

* * *

 **Ben Solo**

* * *

The damage done to the First Order fleet on Naboo, and the simultaneous uprisings scattered around the galaxy, had not been a crippling devastation in the end. Not by the numbers, anyway. Despite their heavy losses, the First Order armada still cut an impressive, imposing presence through the cosmic sea.

In an empty stretch of space on the edge of the Unknown Region, a vast field of Star Destroyers and Super Star Destroyers had gathered as ordered. The specific coordinates had been a preferred purlieu of the First Order for some time, familiar to each of the commanders and a suitable stage on which to perform the theater of hierarchal upheaval. Since the destruction of both the _Dreadnought_ and the _Supremacy_ , none of the currently gathered ships stood apart from the others. Each bore the same angular design, sized appropriate to their class, and looked like carbon copies of one another scattered through the void.

Right now, they glinted like shards of ice, caught by the pale, cold light of a distant sun.

They were beautiful.

And deadly.

Ben stood at the enormous viewer window of his throne room, gazing out at the infinity of space and his military might. Hands behind his back, mouth pulled into a brooding, serious line. So many lives at his disposal — both those aboard the vessels of the fleet, and those which his armies could snuff out at his command. Such seductive power, ever whispering in his ear to do so much more than rebuild and surreptitiously assist the rise of a new, fair government.

After all, governments were only fair for so long. Even the best eventually fell into corruption. They _always_ did. Power begat greed and fear of losing that power, which produced morally bankrupt leaders serving themselves more than the common citizen.

But if _he_ retained power, he could ensure that never happened.

He could rebuild and improve public opinion of the First Order. He could sweep it all neatly back into his control without ever allowing Poe and his team to know what was happening. It would be clean and simple. No war, no bloodshed, no damnation on his own soul. He could help the galaxy more as their leader, ensuring no one like Hux, or Snoke, or even the common politician, could take advantage of them.

This wasn't the first time he'd toyed with such ideas. It was a siren song ever calling his name. Sometimes he paused to listen.

"Supreme Leader," ventured a hesitant, nervous voice.

He didn't turn. The man's presence had come slinking into his own awareness long before his physical form actually came into the room. Ben even knew the message he was going deliver before it came tripping from his mouth.

"The generals and admirals are on their way."

Ben considered the slivers of light out there, so sharp and precise. Thin blades suspended against a backdrop of inky velvet, the stars a distant scattering of diamonds.

"S-Supreme Leader?"

"When they arrive, bring them here, Commander Reese," Ben said, dismissive.

But the man didn't leave. He had another question, but was too afraid to voice it. Ben wanted to sigh. Instead, he made no effort to ease his subordinate's discomfort, keeping his silent post at the window.

Despite Reese's potent apprehension, Ben knew there was a competent leader in him. This current level of submission did not indicate what kind of man he was without the threat of Kylo Ren bearing down on him. It wasn't just Reese, of course. Everyone was much more timid now. Ben and his entourage arrived a few days ago, fully regaled in all that was expected of the Supreme Leader, and boarded the _Cataclysm_ , thereby establishing it as his new flagship. It was one of the few Super Star Destroyers outfitted with a throne room and private floor of executive suits, in case Snoke should ever have had cause to leave the _Supremacy_. It suited Ben's needs perfectly. His honor guard, pilot, and companion had a flight of fine rooms all their own, as well as common areas no one else could access. It gave them the privacy they needed. And this throne room struck the right tone for intimidation.

Yes, this was the appropriate ship from which to launch his machinations.

The crew of the _Cataclysm,_ however, had all exhibited a near constant level of fear since their arrival. The only one who didn't seem afraid, but rather deeply annoyed, was the leader of the whole ship, Admiral Yar. The distinguished Imperial leftover didn't harbor much loyalty towards the shifting leadership of the First Order, having spent the last year chafing under the commands of both Kylo Ren and Armitage Hux. Whenever Ben spoke to him, he felt the Admiral's disdain loud and clear. He was only thinly amenable to the Supreme Leader's presence aboard his ship.

That would have to be dealt with.

The rumors would certainly fly after this meeting — more than they already were. That pleased Ben. He enjoyed the unease rippling through the ranks.

Finally, finding his courage and clearing his throat, Commander Reese ventured, "Will… _she_ be attending the meeting?"

"She?"

He should have asked what business it was of the Commander's who Ben had attend meetings, but he was too amused by the question. Too interested to know which of her many superstitious monikers would dribble out of that nervous mouth.

"The... other one…like you."

Ben didn't have to look to know that Reese was squirming. He did turn, though, arching an eyebrow in the man's direction. "Like me?"

Reese cringed. "Your…emissary."

Hmm, a safe choice. Ben concealed a smirk, keeping his face an impassive mask. That one didn't suit her at all, or adequately explain her movements throughout the ship, but he supposed it was the least outrageous of the options. Reese would have made himself much more a fool saying anything else. Still, Ben liked the other ones better.

Confusion and fear were such amusing crops to harvest after a proper season of sewing.

"Yes, Commander, she will. I expect you to remain in attendance as well."

The young man with sharply pressed white-blond hair and a crisp uniform bowed quickly, having no further questions, and exited with barely restrained haste. Ben watched him go, considering. There was enormous worry in the heart of the Commander — fear of messing up and losing his life to the fabled wrath of the sorcerer, but there _was_ that potential for loyalty too. Well, this afternoon would test the mettle of him and Ben would know if he'd made the right choice. No need to know for certain right now.

He swept forward and sat on the enormous, impressive chair once meant to support the creature who had abused him for so many years. This throne room wasn't as grand or absurdly ostentatious as the red-curtained cavern of the _Supremacy_ , but it was intimidating enough. Polished black floor, black walls, imposing black monolith of a throne upon a raised dais. Similar to what had been on the _Finalizer_ , except the throne was real, and not a projection, and not nearly so large.

"I know you're here, Rey. I can feel your mind," he announced to the empty space.

The tingle of her familiar signature energy had brushed against his psyche a moment ago, before Reese left.

She emerged from a dark corner of the room, cast in shadows so opaque she seemed almost to materialize from thin air. The grin on her face was wide and childish. Ben didn't ask how she'd gotten in here without being seen. She had taken to climbing around inside the guts of the ship, disappearing from and reappearing in strange, incomprehensible places. Most likely she'd come out of some wall panel or air duct. No one ever saw her do it, Ben included, so he remained the only one who knew how she got around.

"Your emissary?" she asked, crossing the space towards him. "That's new."

"Not accurate, and not my favorite," he agreed.

Since arriving, Ben had made no effort whatsoever to introduce Rey to anyone, or anyone to her. He was their ruler, after all, and owed no one an explanation for the people he kept around him. Nobody questioned his use of a personal guard, and even the unusual Court only got a few curious side glances, but Rey was the one they didn't understand. And she exploited her lack of identity with no small degree of entertainment. She donned the menacing, feminine, functional black robes Leia had found for her and swept among the crew with authority and aloofness. They knew by her dress and the open carry of a lightsaber on her belt that she was a Force user and therefore some agent of Kylo Ren, but they couldn't discern what she was looking for or what terrible punishment she might inflict on any who angered her. Wherever she went, paranoia spread in her wake. It didn't help that she seemed to vanish and reappear elsewhere unexpectedly.

They didn't know her name, or her position, so they invented things to call her when they thought they were alone. Court had heard most of them from some of the other pilots. They called her the Scout, the Outrider, the Vanguard, and the Shadow. The last was Ben's favorite. Court had laughed when she told them about it, but Ben had surged with pleasure. He loved that she was an enigma to them.

"I found the research library," she told him, plopping herself on the arm of his throne as if it were any old chair. "I've never seen so many computers in one place."

"They aren't used as often as you'd think." This he knew well, as he'd spent a great deal of time himself in there, pouring over everything he could find about the Jedi, the Sith, and Anakin Skywalker. He was rarely disturbed. It wasn't until Snoke started searching in earnest for that last missing piece of Skywalker's map that technicians had descended on the library, ordered to scour through every shred of data they could find.

"It was almost completely empty. Did you know they have every language in the galaxy archived there?" Notes of awe tinged her voice.

"Yes, I knew." He snuck an arm around her waist, keenly aware that Reese could return with the generals momentarily, but unable to resist. "Study any of them, or all of them. We can have some of the training modules sent to your private terminal in your chambers, so you don't have to mingle with the techs."

"Chambers," she laughed. Perched a bit above him like that, had to tilt his chin up to get a proper look at her. "Everything here is so formal."

Ben didn't particularly want anyone to see and understand the true nature of their relationship, as it would give them context for Rey's presence and perhaps harm her threatening image. If they thought she only held power because the Supreme Leader wanted to bestow favor on his favorite pet, they wouldn't fear her anymore. But the black robes were far too becoming on her, and her body being this close seemed to draw his touch like a moth to a flame.

"I don't really want them to fear me, you know," Rey said, fondly toying with one of his curls.

"Hm?" He had to pull himself back into focus.

"You were worried if they caught us, they wouldn't fear me anymore. I don't want that anyway."

"No, that's not entirely true. I can feel how much you're enjoying the current situation."

She laughed lightly again. "Okay, yeah, I am. It's different. I've never inspired this kind of dread before. It's…"

"Intoxicating?" he supplied.

Rey nodded. "Very. It shouldn't feel this good, but it does. I can see how easily you can be seduced by power like this. But it isn't me. Eventually, I'd like to convince them that I'm an ally, not an enemy."

Ben might have laughed at her naivety, except he knew how much it would offend her. Instead he ran a finger over her knuckles and said carefully, "That would be difficult, indeed. They've all been conditioned to expect violence and dominance from Force users. You won't easily convince them to trust you. And perhaps you shouldn't try, anyway. Might is the language of the First Order, Rey. It earns respect. It is what this culture has been trained to admire. If you give that up for kindness, they won't recognize your authority. You aren't here to be their ally."

Her lips pulled into a hard, thin line and he could feel her soul churning in rejection to this advice.

"We'll see," she said, turning her face away in a clear sign that she didn't want to pursue the subject further.

Ben experienced a flicker of concern. He knew that she would need to find a place here where she could carve out a niche of compassion in which to operate, or else she would start to chafe against the stifling rigidity of this life. She needed a purpose, beyond just wandering around, investigating the ship and being an enforcer. She needed a cause — some good to work amidst all this austerity. Ben still didn't think convincing the crew she was their friend was the right way, but he knew there would have to be something, and soon.

"Anyway, going back — I don't think the language modules get used very often," she said with just a touch of coolness to her previously warm tones. "I've only ever heard one language spoken here."

"Galactic Basic," Ben said with a nod. "Other species and their languages are considered inferior."

Rey bristled with indignation.

Ben took one of her hands with his free one and pressed a kiss into it. "I know, I know. One step at a time. We can't change the whole culture here overnight."

She softened, giving him a small nod of understanding, and again changed the subject. "I didn't catch much of your conversation with Commander Reese. What did you tell him I'd be attending?"

"The meeting with the fleet leaders."

Her eyes widened. "Why? I can't add much to that discussion, and it seems risky, putting a junk collector into a room full of military leaders with the hope that they'll believe she's a…" her words trailed off, brow furrowing in puzzlement.

"A queen?" Ben suggested mildly.

"An emissary," she finished, giving him a strange look.

The crew of the _Cataclysm_ weren't the only ones having trouble understanding Rey's role here, then. Apparently, she was too. Ben didn't want her believing she was his wardog, as he had been Snoke's. He didn't, at any moment, want her to defer to his authority and become his subordinate — in her own eyes or anyone else's. She was his equal, and he needed everyone to see her that way.

"You aren't an emissary. And you're certainly not a junk collector anymore," he said, because he didn't know how to vocalize the other thoughts. "You don't serve me, or anyone."

"I'm the Shadow." Her grin came, fleeting but genuine.

He huffed a soft chuckle. "Did Court accomplish her assignment?"

"I know she was in the hangar an hour ago, but I didn't sit around waiting to see," she said with a shrug.

They both looked up as their shared awareness filled with the feeling that _something_ was about to happen. Rey slid off the armrest and out of Ben's grasp, smoothing her clothes and stiffening her spine. Ben straightened too, sitting erect, assuming a posture of power. They glanced at each other once.

The game was afoot.

Commander Reese led them in — a group of a dozen men, most of them older, dressed in the crisp uniforms of beige, charcoal, or full black parade. Ben's sharp gaze fell on them with damning weight as he watched them file in to the throne room and fan out before him. Commander Reese motioned where they should go. Admiral Yar gave him a steely look, and both Force users could clearly sense his flash of annoyance at being directed about by one of his own men.

Ben recognized most of them. They were almost all former Imperials, like Yar. The few exceptions were young, indoctrinated from childhood, like Hux and Reese. Some of Ben's red troopers filed in after them, taking up positions around the perimeter of the room.

He flexed the energy around him, sweeping it out and over the fleet leaders, brushing ghostly touches against their minds. Rey's own light, radiating softly near him, flowed with his and lent her own perception to their shared mind. Together, they monitored the moods and intents of these men. It was one of the reasons Ben wanted her here with him. The two of them would be able to decide who was worth keeping, and who must go. And if he should get distracted dealing with them, someone else would keep watch, guarding him from treasonous plots.

"Supreme Leader," said one of the men in full parade, stepping ahead of the others. "We're pleased you have returned."

The opportunist. The liar. They weren't pleased. Not really. Most of them, upon hearing of Hux's death, had drummed up aspirations of their own ascension and now resented the yoke of subservience forced on them again with the return of a powerful creature they did not understand. They didn't look forward to his second rule. That was fine, Ben intended to clean house of anyone who would hinder, rather than assist, his rebuilding plans. That began now.

"Admiral Yar," he said, ignoring the first man and turning to the charcoal-clad veteran who ran the very vessel they all now occupied.

Yar drew himself up. "Sir."

"You are hereby dismissed from service."

A ripple of shock ran through the group, both visible and mental, and no one — including Yar — quite understood what they'd just heard.

"The First Order thanks you for your years of dedication," Ben continued coolly. "We will provide you with a comfortable pension to ease your transition into civilian life. Congratulations on your retirement."

"Re—" Yar sputtered, eyes bulging. "Sir? I — I don't quite understand."

"You are dismissed, Admiral. Commander Reese."

The stunned commander flinched almost imperceptibly at the sound of his name, but snapped to attention and stared straight ahead. "Supreme Leader."

"You now have command of this vessel. Congratulations, Admiral."

Audible gasps rippled among the assembled leaders now, along with a great swell of fear. They utilized every facet of their strict training not to react more obviously than that.

"Sir!" Yar protested, rising desperation and anger in his countenance. "I did not — I'm not reti — why am I being dismissed?"

Ben leveled his gaze on the man, letting all the contempt flow from his heart and into the other. "Don't make a scene, Admiral. Go peacefully, and enjoy your generous pension. If you resist, you will be forced to go and forfeit all benefits."

"Is this about Hux?" Yar cried. "I never liked Hux! Sniveling weasel, that boy. When I heard what he'd done to you — Supreme Leader, I beg you to reconsider. I've only ever been loyal to you."

It was another bold-faced lie, but Ben didn't entertain even a flicker of anger. He merely gave a disappointed shake of his head and signaled to some of his red troopers.

"Wait, wait, wait," said Yar, scrambling away from the approaching guards. "I'll go."

Ben nodded. "I commend your wisdom. A shuttle has been provided for you. You will collect your personal affects and report there for immediate departure. Others will join you shortly."

With pale countenances now beaded with sweat, the others watched Yar go as far as they could without physically turning. None was paler than the newly-minted Admiral Reese.

Ben turned to them as soon as the whisper of the door closing echoed through the deathly silent room. "Gentlemen. A new era is upon us. New opportunities. Some of you have mistakenly believed that we have been outmaneuvered by this Resistance-seeded government. I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth. We will move forward with the next phase of our original objective: restoring order and peace to a galaxy in chaos. Some of you supported the treason of Armitage Hux, and some of you are simply unfit for the next stage of our operation. I require nothing short of absolute excellence and loyalty. If you are found lacking in either, you will join Yar on that shuttle."

One of them jumped, startled to realize Rey had crept, unnoticed, towards them and had begun circling slowly.

Ben spun on his heel and ascended the dais again. "For too long, we have allowed foolish, greedy leadership to exhaust our resources and cripple our galaxy. We're finished with that. More denizens of our kingdom will flock to this new government upstart, because we have failed to sustain the well from which we draw. Now it is dry. We will begin reconstructing those wells, to strengthen our cause and our resources."

A pulse of something in the back of his mind drew his attention. Rey didn't meet his eye, but he felt her considering one of the generals with disgust. Ben saw what she had seen — his flair of incredulity and anger at Ben's pronouncement of rebuilding. A doubter.

"General Hessian, you are dismissed from Service," he said, sinking into his seat.

The general stiffened. "Sir, I didn't say anything—!"

Ben extended a hand and the man lifted into the air a few inches, clawing at his neck.

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Hessian shook his head, wheezing.

Ben let him go and he scrambled as quickly as he could for the door.

Settling back in the throne, the Supreme Leader basked in the feeling of unease that washed up on sickly tides from his subordinates.

"We will take a company of five destroyers to Ryloth first. There we will assess the damage done to the Ryll mines and the populace. The rest of our numbers will each take a sector of the galaxy and conduct a thorough search for every Twi'lek you find in captivity. These you will purchase and return to Ryloth for repatriation. For too long we have allowed the Hutts and other crime syndicates to profit from this trafficking. Restoring the citizens of Ryloth will remind them who holds true power in this galaxy."

Over the next hour, four more admirals and another general were dismissed when their words revealed them as liars or their secret reactions revealed them as disloyal. Each went more quietly than the one before, seeing that objection was futile and dangerous. The five remaining leaders were, unsurprisingly, of the younger generation and neither Ben or Rey could find much artifice in them, only fear and awe. Time would prove their pliability. For now, they could retain their posts. By the time they left, all thoroughly humbled, they understood the promise that they could easily be next with anything short of absolute fealty.

The meeting ended with a detailed plan in place to travel to Ryloth and begin assessment of what needed to be restored on that ravaged world in a few days' time, after Ben and Rey had taken the opportunity to visit each of the seven ships now relieved of their admirals and choose a new one from among the captains and commanders. Throughout the entire thing, the men never gleaned much more knowledge about Rey except that she was a silent observer, and probably dangerous to them. Ben did not address her, did not refer to her, did not give them opportunity to ask about her — not that any of them would have dared. Now they would go, taking their fear with them and gestating it into the information which would seed the increasingly wild rumors.

Admiral Reese checked in at the end of the meeting to discuss the _Cataclysm_ 's role in the coming events. He held himself in a manner nervous but emboldened. Throughout the ordeal, he had traveled the heaving mountains of emotions that resulted in new, deep respect and admiration for Ben. _He_ was trusted to lead this ship, and when everyone else was being dismissed, he had been chosen to lead. That trust turned him into the most willing player at Ben's disposal. As he knew it would.

While Ben spoke to Reese about more specific plans, Rey left to give Court the go-ahead. She didn't say anything to Ben upon leaving, but he could feel her brimming over with all kinds of feelings she'd no doubt reveal later when they were well and truly alone.

* * *

Time was a tricky thing in deep space, with no visual clues to provide the body a reference for nighttime or daytime. When it was what they, the humans of the First Order, had deemed evening, Ben finally made his way back to the royal suites.

In the common area, he found Rey and Court perched together on a couch, deep in conversation.

A culinary droid whizzed away preparing the evening's meal in the kitchen at end of the space. On the other side, a cluster of off-duty guards sat playing chance cubes, animated but not rowdy. One entire wall was composed of glass, giving the common area an impressive view of the sweeping stars and splinters of ship.

Last time he'd played the role of Supreme Leader, and even before, in the service of Snoke, he had not deigned to socialized with any member of the crew. He had entered and exited his private chambers through his private entrance, never bothering with common areas restricted to elite personnel. Socializing wasn't an activity practiced among the upper ranks. Friendliness and leisure? Absolutely unheard of.

So this was perhaps the strangest sight to ever grace the executive chambers of the _Cataclysm_ or any vessel like it. Perhaps because they all shared the secret that they were not truly agents of the First Order, or perhaps the familial culture of the Resistance had become ingrained into their behavior — but among Ben's personal staff, the common areas were the preferred spot to be, and everyone treated everyone else like best friends.

Rey was very much part of that, so Ben often came here to find her. He didn't usually stay long, unsure how to conduct himself in a setting like this. Even the few moments he spent here, though, reminded him how different and strangely pleasant it was to be surrounded by friendly faces instead of enemies. It was like a little island of comfort in a sea of cold sterility.

Rey glanced up at him in a pause in the conversation, her gaze illuminating. "Ben!"

Court followed her gaze, grinning and flicking her wrist in a mock salute. "Evening, boss."

Ben moved towards them, addressing the pilot. "You're back."

"Yep, just got in."

"Did your tracker work, then?"

"Like a dream. Started broadcasting a signal just after they dropped out of hyperspace."

"And you sent the transmission to Coruscant?"

"And received confirmation, thank you very much," said Court.

"Good."

Rey grinned. "Poe's probably ecstatic. His return message said they've already dispatched a squad to intercept the shuttle."

Good. That was the idea, at least. Giving the Resistance the location of known war criminals served a double purpose, which was why Ben had arranged everything to fall into place this way. Poe would see it as a gesture of goodwill, an act in accordance with their promise to work together, and it would prevent these no-doubt angry military men from gathering and forming a revenge plot. It also meant that no pensions would actually have to be payed out, so perhaps it served a triple purpose.

Ben nodded, satisfied. He glanced at Rey. "And you sent him a warning that we are about to make our first move?"

"And that we'd meet on the moon to explain once we're under way."

"Excellent." Today had gone surprisingly according to plan. That wasn't always the case. This was only the first step, though, and they had much more to do. It was fulfilling, having a clear purpose and role again. His attention turned to Court. "Tomorrow we'll need shuttle service to several of the destroyers."

Court nodded, passing a small nut up to the tiny, hairy hand darting out of her hair. "We'll be at the hangar when you need us."

Ben stifled the urge to roll his eyes. That damn monkey. At least she'd mostly kept him out of sight. No one was talking about the vermin that had attached itself to the pilot of the Supreme Leader.

A sly sort of grin unfolded over Rey's face, and she nudged Court. "You should have seen their faces when Ben dismissed them. Pure terror."

"I would have liked to." Court reveled in the fantasy. "Pompous bastards."

"I think they were starting to realize their secret thoughts were perhaps not so secret." Rey took the next nut from Court and held it out to the creature hiding within the braids.

Ben observed the exchange between the two women with interest. He noticed now how they were sitting on the couch — Rey's legs drawn up, Court's tangled into hers, as if they were sisters who had always grown up together and were used to sharing small furniture. The last couple days had required him to be in meetings, absent for hours, and though he still saw Rey whenever her skulking about brought her into his throne room, he realized he didn't really know much of what she'd been doing except exploring. Now, he realized, she'd been hanging out with Court, forging a deep friendship rather quickly. The humming harmony he detected between them reminded him a little of the same kind of regard she held for Finn.

Well, that was hardly out of the ordinary for her, he realized, chiding himself on his surprise. He'd taken her from the family she had crafted from strangers, so now she was beginning to construct another. In fact, she'd probably already gotten pretty close with some of the once-again-troopers. She couldn't help herself. Rey had an indomitable need for a family. Once, Ben had found that irritating, but he understood it now.

After a few more minutes of chatting with Court, Rey climbed off the couch, excused herself to her companion, and came to Ben's side. She drew him away with a light brush on his gloved hands. They went to sit by the enormous window, across a little table from one another.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. "You seemed a little shaken after the meeting."

She nodded. "Not shaken. Just...trying not to acknowledge how enjoyable it was, scaring everyone like that. Watching you exert your power over them. Feeling their fear. It felt good, which made me disturbed at my own self. Is it bad that I liked it?"

A little smile played at the corners of his mouth as he observed the emotions flashing over her expressive face, ending with a slightly wrinkled nose and an aura of slight guilt. "For impure vessel such as us, it's natural. Your Jedi predecessors would be scandalized, but I understand."

Warmth flowed between them, comfortable and familiar. They didn't have to be ashamed of their weaknesses with each other. Rey liked the reminder. Ben did too.

"I can't shake this feeling that if you kept control, you could do so much with all of this." She motioned to the starfield spread before them. "You could change the galaxy and make everyone behave."

"You mean _we_ could do that."

Her eyes flicked back to him, a faint tinge of color warming her cheeks.

Ben leaned back in his chair, taping his fingers along the armrest as he debated his answer. The loudest voice inside him, the one he'd given heed to for many years, wanted to seize this moment to announce to her that they would do exactly what — retain the might and order of this military and heed that seductive voice always, _always_ whispering at his heart.

But there was now another voice too, one which he'd almost forgotten how to hear until she reminded him how. It spoke of an unnamed moon and a Jedi who had come to rescue him from the fate this life had dealt him. It spoke of beauty and peace and a destiny so much greater than being the ruler of the galaxy. It was the voice that won out, in the end, emerging from him to say softly:

"I know what you mean. It belongs to the hungry dark, the one that wants us to feed it our souls. It comes from being here. It will recede when we leave."

"But why couldn't we do it?" she persisted. "Like you always said, like you were trying to tell me from the beginning. Why couldn't we change it into something good?"

Ben frowned, leaning forward now to bore into her with his steely gaze. He was used to this voice, this temptation, but she was starting to hearing it now for the first time. It was important she recognize the true danger in it. "The First Order was conceived and birthed in darkness, Rey. It wants to go on the way it is. We can mold it to suit our needs for now, but if we let it go on, it will destroy us. We have to take it apart. Piece by piece, we will tear it and scatter what we can salvage among the new government. After we've helped the planets we can, we dissolve it. But I don't want to do it without you. You know what's worth saving, and what isn't. Like today, with those generals, and like I hope you'll do on Ryloth."

Rey startled. "Ryloth?"

He nodded. "I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to go down with the survey team and help them create a reconstruction plan."

"I am not qualified—" she began.

Ben shook his head, cutting off her protest. "You are. It's going to look like ruins down there, ashes of a forgotten war. But you can help them see what is salvageable in all that wreckage."

The culinary droid had finished its preparations and now zipped around the room, setting down plates of steaming food in front of everyone at their various locations. Rey didn't even look at hers when their mechanical chef placed it before her. Ben received his with a nod of thanks. Rey still stared at him, and he felt her aura burn a little brighter, bewildered and flattered and surprised.

"Ben," she whispered, at a loss for what else to say.

"Are you willing? It's important that you know this isn't a command. I'm not ordering you to go down there — I couldn't. That isn't my place. I'm asking, and hoping you'll say yes."

Silently, she nodded.

Touched as she was by his confidence in her, Ben knew she still didn't feel like she belonged with a group of architects, global planners, and economic strategists. But she was willing, and he knew it was enough.

"Intimidate them as much as you like," he said, nudging her fork towards her. "Make a little show of your powers, if you want. That'll convince them to listen to whatever advice you give."

A slow grin started on her face, eyes dancing with mischievous light. "That seems like cheating."

"It isn't. It's using the advantage you have to shape circumstances in your favor."

She laughed. "Yeah. Definitely cheating."

After a while, the lights in the private wing dimmed to nighttime mode, prompting everyone to retire for the allotted sleep schedule — except for the troopers who replaced those on guard duty. Rey went to her room, and Ben went to his. He knew it wouldn't last, though. Her room held everything she needed in it, but she'd not availed herself of the bed even a single night they'd been here yet. After everyone else had fallen asleep, she always found her way into his.

He never minded. Never made her leave. Waking up together on Canto Bight had convinced her that she wanted to wake up like that every day. He wanted that too.

Possibly, the troops had noticed. Probably, Court had. Rey always came when she thought she couldn't be detected, but Ben knew better than to expect that she'd truly gone unnoticed. He didn't care what they thought about it though. However it looked from the outside, neither of them ever flirted with the edge of intimacy as closely as they had that night at the casino. For now, Ben just enjoyed her presence beside him and the soothing calm she brought to his dreams when she was near.

His door whispered open in the darkness, and a moment later, her body slipped in beside him in the dark. He rolled to take her into his arms and pull her head onto his chest. She fit next to him perfectly, like a puzzle piece he didn't realize he was missing. She sighed contentedly.

It was difficult to be back here, with the First Order, always trying to stay one step ahead of all the temptations trying to drag him back into the pursuit of power. But it helped to have her beside him. She, the living, breathing reminder of everything that had changed, of everything he wanted now that he didn't care about then, of everything he would stand to lose if he succumbed. As he held her and stared up at the darkened ceiling of his room, a wave of peace washed over him. They were better together. And Ben knew that somehow, he need to do something about that.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Hey guys! So, I really need to apologize for the long wait on this chapter. We're getting ready to make a major move to another state for grad school in a few weeks, and life has gotten pretty hectic. It didn't help that this chapter fought me more than the others have. But fear not! The rest are writing themselves so quickly, it's all I can do to type them out fast enough. Hopefully the next will be up by Tuesday, if not tomorrow.

I have about 20 chapters total planned, but sometimes these run longer or shorter than I think they will, so we'll see where it ends up. In other words, we're into the last half now. And I think you'll really like what's coming down the line. ;)


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE: Swimming Lessons

 **Rey**

* * *

"I can't decide if this place is beautiful or not," Court mused, picking through a pile of rubble at the base of a massive earthen spire. The mound itself, composed of clay so packed and hard it had become as unyielding as stone, was more like a mountain in its girth, but spun into a thin point at the top. A city had been built into it, winding along its edge in an ever steeper slope. The city existed largely within the structure, doors and arched passageways leading into it from the exterior streets.

Of course, most of that city was destroyed now. Hence the rubble.

Rey shielded her eyes against the sun as she stared up at the top of the natural cathedral.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It's different."

This was the third city they'd visited in so many days, and the third that housed only a few hundred suffering citizens. So much of it ought to be torn down, but Ben was right — she had been able to find a few key areas worth saving amidst all the wreckage. Those key areas were now being worked in to the reconstruction plan as heritage sites. As long as the meager Rylothian government agreed to it, of course.

They had not been eager to see five star destroyers appear in orbit. Most of their able-bodied fighters were off assisting the Resistance, so they didn't have much defense to mount against a possible attack. They had no choice but to receive Kylo Ren and begin talks with him about his plans for their planet.

Court removed the broken remains of a stringed instrument, frowning. "Kriff, this is so sad. These people had a life here, you know? Like they really lived here. Families. Are they all enslaved? I mean, where are they?"

This was the first time Court had joined her on one of these expeditions to see a ruined city. The rest of the reconstruction team was still inside, poking around, but Rey had seen what she needed. She wanted the fresh air of outside. She'd been wading through the sadness that now struck Court so deeply for enough days now that she was becoming used to the weight of it.

"Many are, yes," she said softly. "Some are with the Resistance. The rest moved to the capital. Only the holdouts still live in these places."

"A giant termite hill," scoffed Court. "I'd want to go to the other place too. It seems nice there. Mountains and trees and stuff. This is…" She shook her head.

Ben had sent her to the capital to bring the representatives from Ryloth every time there was a meeting. Court had become familiar enough with the place over the last few days. Rey couldn't deny, she liked it better too. The dangerous animals and thermal activity of the surface forced most the inhabitants of Ryloth to live in caves and high, sheltered places. Like this earth-tower. But the current capital sprawled over an isolated mountain plateau, safe from dangers, near the last remaining Ryll mine that gave life to their limping, dying economy.

"Yeah," Rey agreed again, turning her gaze to the sweeping, dusty hills around them. The hot winds occasionally bore a sulfuric smell, the hallmark of this region, and vegetation dotted the brown landscape in feeble effort to spice the place with life. Unlike Court, she didn't wonder why anyone would settle here. She knew that life would spread to even the most unlikely places, defying good sense and flourishing where it had no right to do so. No doubt that's what happened here. But then they'd been raided, abducted, and destroyed.

Ryloth had been subjected to more or less endless waves of tyrannical occupation since before the Empire, from both the Hutts and later Separatists trying to seed discontent in the Outer Rims. Despite their once-bountiful resources, the little planet had suffered from its key position in the wild, outlaw territories of distant space, rarely patrolled or monitored by governments who should have protected them. But it was one thing to know the history in a purely academic sense, and it was another to stand on its wasted surface and see it firsthand.

In many ways, Rey was glad to have come here. She was glad Ben wanted her on his reconstruction committee. Suddenly the wealth buried in the mountains of Jakku seemed so much more important than ever, knowing it would help places like this.

"Hey," said Court, nudging her. "You okay?"

Rey drew a deep breath, trying to cleanse herself of the melancholy mood these expeditions always produced. "Yeah. I'm just…I'm glad we're going to change things here."

"Me too. Come on, if you're done, I'll take you back to the capital."

The rest of the crew could finish the survey without her. She'd make her recommendations, which they would inevitably agree to, and they'd do the whole thing again tomorrow. Ben had been right about their reaction to her presence among them. They were too nervous about her black magic abilities, as they perceived them, to put up much of an argument when she gave her assessment of a place. She still didn't like being the object of so much fear, but it was working to her advantage right now.

She followed Court back to the shuttle. The two red troopers who always accompanied her on these things as her body guards were already waiting there by the gangplank. They fell in behind as the two women passed them, boarding and drawing up the ramp in preparation for takeoff.

Inside the shuttle, three passengers had already been seated. They looked up nervously when the group entered and Court swept by, her tiny co-pilot leaping along ahead of her to get started on the liftoff procedures. Rey paused and glanced at them.

"Are you alright?"

Every ruined city she'd visited had contained haunted faces of the people left behind, and every time she'd gone back with the dissatisfied feeling that she could have helped them more somehow. This time, she didn't have to go back with the survey team. This time, she had a private shuttle and a pilot who was in on her secret. So when the Force had wrenched her attention to this little family — a father, a mother, and a small female youngling — she finally felt free to act. She sensed their enormous need and knew without asking that they were on the brink of starvation, but too poor to afford transport to the capital where their prospects were better. The little girl, in particular, probably wouldn't last much longer and her parents were desperate for a way out. So Rey had approached them, spoken briefly with them, and offered seats on her transport if they were willing to leave this very day. They accepted, surprised and heartbreakingly grateful.

The whole reason they were here was her own doing, so she didn't understand why something about them made her feel utterly uncomfortable. Unsettled. Restless.

Maybe the fact that they were a family. She didn't really…do families. Not real ones, with two real parents. At least, she didn't think she did.

The father, orange of skin with two red-striped lekku and the sharpened teeth typical of Twi'lek males, spoke for them. "Yes, we're fine. I thank you again. How can we ever repay you?"

"Live," she said simply, moving off to the cockpit.

Perhaps he wanted something more eloquent. She didn't have it. Despite the great, urgent need to help them, she simultaneously wanted to distance herself from them as quickly as possible.

Court had approved of the decision to bring them along, even if it initially surprised her. When Rey sat down beside her, she glanced up from her controls.

"Checking in on the hitchhikers?"

"They're fine," said Rey softly.

"And you, Sonic?"

The Pamarthian was all about nicknames — and seeing more than perhaps she had any right to see. If Rey didn't know for certain she wasn't Force sensitive, she might be spooked by Court's perceptive observation.

"I'm okay."

"That wasn't convincing, but I'm gonna let you have that one. Just saying, though, it's nice of you to let them come along. It doesn't jive with the role you're supposed to be playing, but I still think it's awesome."

"We're trying to save their planet. It wouldn't make sense not to help this one family, especially when it costs us nothing." Plus, Rey knew, parents had a tendency to put themselves before their children when their own self-interest was on the line, and she wasn't entirely sure the little girl wouldn't end up sold to the next slaver who came along offering money for a big meal.

They seemed genuine, and the Force was surging when she spoke to them, but she still harbored her secret doubts.

"Trust me, I'm completely with you. You gonna tell Boyfriend Bossman about it?"

"Yeah." Rey didn't bother correcting her for the millionth time.

They lapsed into silence as Court lifted off. This friendship thing between them had sprung up rather quickly, but very naturally. It was easy for Rey to be with her, and easy to be honest with her. They hadn't talked at length about their pasts, but Court knew that Rey grew up an orphan on Jakku, and Rey knew that Court grew up in a nuclear family. One was a child of the desert, the other of the sea and sky. Court now knew that Rey could pilot most things just fine, and Rey knew that Court had wanted to be a racer before becoming a pilot for hire, but her brother's contraction of bloodburn ended that dream. While Rey was scavenging for her daily bread, Court was running jobs — both legal and illegal — all around the galaxy. Their backgrounds were as different as they could be, but somehow they managed to understand one another. Even the silences were meaningful.

So it didn't come as a great surprise when, a few minutes into their flight, Rey found herself confessing in a soft voice, "This is the first real family I've ever spoken to. The first one still perfectly intact."

Court glanced at her briefly. "Does that make you feel weird?"

"I think so." The little girl with her parents…it stirred up some hunger in Rey she thought she'd buried. It was tiresome, and a little sad, to remember the longing.

"You know…" Court spoke with carefully measured words. "Family doesn't just work backwards, in your past. It can work forwards too."

Rey's brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Means you can have and be what you lacked. Might help. Pour your love into something to prove you are capable of loving and being worthy of love."

"This is both vague and deep. What kind of mood has gotten into you?" Rey peered at her, perplexed and a little amused. They didn't usually get this profound in their conversations.

"Nothing." Court laughed and eased forward on the throttle. "Go tell our passengers that we'll be landing in half an hour. Wait. That sounded like an order. I'm not ordering you — you're the employer. I'm just—"

Rey laughed too, cutting her off to stand and do as requested. Perhaps Ben would say they were becoming entirely too comfortable with each other, but Rey didn't mind. She was glad to have a friend. She missed Finn and Rose and Poe, and it helped to find a similar kinship with someone in this strange new life.

Back in the passenger hold, the family sat huddled together. The wife rested her head on her husband's shoulder, arm linked through his, fingers interlaced. He whispered soft comforts to her. The little girl leaned against her father's other arm, feet swinging, big violet eyes looking around the shuttle with undisguised wonder.

Rey cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "We'll be landing in thirty minutes."

"Thank you," said the husband earnestly.

The red stormtroopers hadn't removed their helmets, though Rey knew they were itching to do exactly that. They'd gotten used to casualness and informality with her when no one was around to see — and indeed, she encouraged it. But these passengers meant they had to maintain their disguise.

She glanced once more at the child before she turned to go. The youngling had facial architecture like her father, but her mother's teal skin. Her gaze met Rey's when she felt the stare, and the Force rippled. Rey felt it, whispering distantly. Not as clearly as she'd heard it with Temiri, but distinct nonetheless.

Quickly, Rey returned to the cockpit and found her seat. The unsettled feeling returned, stronger now. If that little shudder meant what she thought it meant...

Perhaps that was why she was supposed to save this family. That youngling couldn't be allowed to die, she had a destiny to fulfill.

And if there were two children in the galaxy through whom the Force flowed, that meant the cosmic power was rising in the next generation. Rey did not know her part in that, but she knew that it wouldn't be the same as those who came before. She wanted to help — not just the Force-sensitives who might spring up — but any who wanted to learn how to feel the ballet of energy. Rose had been able to do it, once Rey showed her how. Perhaps others could learn.

She needed to talk to Ben. He could help her sort through these thoughts.

Her thoughts slipped back to the parents, so tender with one another in their relief and happiness. They didn't seem like the kind to sell their child to save their skins. Maybe they were better than that.

* * *

An hour after landing, Rey wandered around the government complex, waiting for Ben. The family had gone, and Court had headed off towards a cantina. Only the troopers stayed with her as she explored. Her silent companions. She didn't need them for safety, and would have preferred to be alone with her thoughts, but they came with the whole charade of influence, so she let them stay. These theatrics were becoming tiresome. She wanted to be a nobody again.

Ben found her standing at the corner of two municipal buildings, staring up at the steep sloping mountain above them. Except for the Ryll mine and rock quarry, most of it was covered in thick forest, lush and green and full of promise.

When she felt him approach, warmth flooding through her psyche, she turned. He looked polished and fine, as always. Right now, in her disquieted mood, she missed his less formal look from his days in Resistance captivity. Or better yet, that ridiculous tunic gifted to him by the inhabitants of their convalescent moon. Back then, he looked a whole lot less dictator, and a lot more scoundrel.

He waved her troops off with a faint gesture, giving them permission to go. They didn't need to be told twice, and marched off without a second glance backwards. Despite their ability to be far more relaxed during their personal time, they knew that their employer still expected exact obedience while in uniform.

Rey leaned a shoulder against a wall and gave him a little smirk in greeting. "Not interested in having an audience?"

He closed the remaining feet between them, making a soft, deep growl in response as his hands found her waist and he drew her in for a kiss so fierce it surprised her.

"Whoa," she laughed when he broke away. "What was that about?"

"It's always about you," he said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "These are long days, that's all."

They were. She felt them too. Since arriving at the First Order, their time together had grown increasingly scarce day by day. He was busy being Supreme Leader, and now she was busy touring Ryloth. They still sought the comfort of each other's presence in the night, but it didn't really satisfy the void they were beginning to experience during the day. It felt so odd to miss him when they only spent several hours apart, but that was more than she'd had to endure since she'd found him dying on that moon. Except for their brief journeys to Naboo and Pamarthe, they'd spent nearly every minute of every day in each other's company. This new routine was uncomfortable.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Long days."

He glanced up at the mountainside she'd been considering. "Would you like to escape for a while?"

Surprised, she pulled out of his grasp and gave him a dubious look. "Don't you have a hundred things you ought to be doing right now?"

Ben shrugged. "They'll wait."

The prospect was tempting. She eyed the mountain again. Just the two of them, exploring the sylvan wild, shedding their pretenses and roles — it sounded like exactly the relief she needed after a day like this. The Twi'leks were afraid of dangerous beasts, but the thought didn't trouble her. She knew she and Ben could handle whatever came their way.

"Alright," she agreed. A shy smile stole across her face. "Let's go."

He played with a smile too, motioning for her to follow as he turned. She did. At the end of the block, they found a speeder, driver leaning against it, reading the daily news on a holopad. Ben hired him for a quick hop, and off they went, zipping towards the high wall which protected the city against outside threats. A large open gate controlled traffic in and out, mostly a thin scattering of refugees from devastated cities making their way to hope.

Ben and Rey disembarked, walking through these hungry, needy few to head off into the forest. Rey glanced at them, remembered the family, and experienced a twinge of agitation again. She frowned and stared at the road before her.

Ben removed his black leather gloves, tucking them into a pocket, and took her hand. His flesh was warm. It felt good against her own.

"Something's bothering you," he assessed.

She glanced up quickly, though after all this time, she really shouldn't be surprised that he could read her mood so well. Still, no need to hide the reason. He'd be able to search the answer out himself, if he wanted. "I brought a family from that city in the sulfur fields. They were too poor to make the trip on their own. They didn't ask — I offered."

He said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"I'd almost forgotten families with two parents still together still existed." She knew he'd understand that well enough.

He nodded.

Rey let go of a soft breath trapped in her lungs. "And I think their child might…the Force felt strange around her. Like Temiri."

His brow lifted. "You think you found another?"

"Perhaps. I'm not sure. She was very young."

The road ended where the forest began, becoming only a dirt trail through the soft mahogany-colored earth. Deep green foliage and black trunks covered the mountainside, sheltering everything within from the glare of the sun and the noise of the outside world. The latter phenomenon hit Rey only a few strides into the inky depths. The sounds of the city, the eternal clanking of the Ryll mine, and the howling winds off the edge of the plateau vanished. In here, all sounds became muted. The air was fresher too. Rich and satisfying. Rey felt better after only a few minutes.

"So this child," Ben continued as they departed from the path in no particular direction. "Did you get her name?"

"Pala."

"Did you talk to her about her abilities?"

"No. Like I said, she was very small. I didn't talk to her parents about it either. I'm not even really sure what I felt, but it reminded me of Canto Bight."

They climbed onto and over a large, mossy log. Rey thought of the huge tree on the moon where she found Ben dying. Her heart squeezed with longing, and fondness. Forests were her favorite places.

As to the conversation at hand, Ben didn't ask the next question on his mind, but Rey could feel it anyway. She could also feel him quietly probing her emotions, trying to determine how she felt about discovering this possibly Force-sensitive child. So she offered the explanation he sought.

"No, I didn't suffer a repeat of what happened with Temiri. If she has a family, there's no way I'm going to interfere with that. Your plan here will take a few years anyway. I can check on her from time to time."

Ben made a soft sound that wasn't quite a chuckle. "You're going to gather quite a stable of younglings to keep an eye on at this rate."

She laughed. "The Force keeps pointing them out. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it, exactly."

The sound of water began to grow steadily as they walked, and eventually they decided to seek the source. It drew them, calling through the gloom like a maternal croon. Picking their way towards it, they discovered a stream gurgling down the mountainside, glittering and merry in its chattery descent. Ben and Rey kept going, following it up until the forest opened up into a clearing.

A small lake — or was it a pond? Rey didn't know how to identify the differences between bodies of water, except the obviousness of an ocean — spread beneath a leafy green fringe. The trees stood sentinel around this little pool and the fanned, fern-like plants bending over to brush a cool turquoise surface. Flowers of rainbow array dotted the otherwise vermillion growth, and a waterfall cascaded from a cliffside at the other end, plunging into the crystalline water and feeding the pond which fed the stream that wandered on down the mountain.

Rey's breath caught in her throat at the scene. During the sleepless nights of her adolescence, she'd tried to imagine the most beautiful thing she could possibly conjure, and it had looked something like this. But this was so much better. It couldn't possibly be real. Even as Ben tugged her towards the pool, she half-expected to punch a tear through the illusion and discover herself back on Jakku.

She clutched Ben's hand tighter, as if to reassure herself she hadn't stumbled into a vision — or possibly, a hallucination.

He gave her a curious glance. "Are you alright?"

"Ben…this place!" She shook her head, unable to summon the right words for what wonder overwhelmed her now.

He stopped at the edge of the pond, sweeping his gaze around the idyllic scene. "Have you found your winner, then?"

"Winner?"

"Our search for the most beautiful spot in the galaxy."

"Oh." She laughed. "Maybe. I don't know. I never dreamed anything like this could exist outside my own mind."

A gentle, affectionate smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. Through their bond she felt his bright hot urge to kiss her, but he didn't. She wished he would. Instead, he motioned and said academically, "It wouldn't surprise me if this turned out to be a sacred place in Rylothian lore. A place as pretty as this must have drawn some mythology to explain it."

Rey didn't know anything about all that, but she did understand that this place practically glowed with meaning. If it didn't have any, she'd find a way to make it meaningful.

Apparently Ben had the same idea. Or, some kind of idea. Rey felt his tingle of interest as he bent beside the edge of the pool and touched the water. His gaze flashed back to her. "Cool, but not cold."

She blinked, startled at what she saw forming in his mind. "You want to swim?"

He sat and began removing his shoes. "Why not?"

She could think of several reasons. Not the least of which was, "I don't know how."

"You survived falling into that cave just fine."

"Because I didn't want to die!" Rey could well remember the horrible vacuum of sight and sound swallowing her up, choking her, eager to flood her lungs should she give in to the panicked urge to breathe. Surviving that had been either a stroke of remarkably good luck, or an act of pure, instinctual defiance in the face of death. Either way, she wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

"I'll teach you," he said offhandedly. "It won't be difficult. You're already well attuned to your instincts."

"Ben…" but her reluctant protest trailed off as she watched him extract himself from his many layers and finally peel off the last shirt. She stole several glances at his chiseled, enormous chest, scarred and marked but still impossibly perfect. Rey forced herself to look away again, heat flooding her face.

"Dirty trick," she grumbled.

A moment later, a soft splash drew her attention back and she saw Ben lower himself off the edge of the bank and into the pool. He kept his pants on, which was something of a relief. She wasn't sure she wanted _that_ kind of temptation at the moment.

Rey watched him swim with a deliberately studious eye, observing the way his powerful shoulders rolled as he took in water and swept it out again, propelling himself to the center of the pond. He cut through the scene like some kind of graceful aquatic creature. It looked easy. Rey knew better.

Still, she reluctantly kicked off her shoes and began pulling at her outer layers.

Ben detected her surrender and returned, swimming back to the edge to wait for her.

Down to only her pants and the tightly wrapped fabric that bound her chest, she sank to the earth and let her legs dangle into the water. Chills scattered across her skin at the cold kiss. Ben stood, glistening in that ridiculous Adonic way. Rey focused on the reminder that if he could stand, it must not be too deep.

She hesitated. Rare, and precious, and hard-won as water was for most of her life, she still wasn't eager to give herself over to it completely. Placing her body totally within its power filled her with quiet fear.

"Rey," Ben murmured, caressing her name in that gentle way he always did, "do you trust me?"

Another cheap trick. Of course she did. She felt his gaze, dark eyes rich and deep with concern. Bracing herself, she gave him a slight nod in reply, and slid off the edge and into the pool.

Ben's hands were at her waist immediately, steadying her as she found her feet. The ground wasn't far away — just a little shorter than her full body height. The jostling surface lapped at her collarbone. Cold wrapped all around her, and the weightlessness made her feel terribly unbalanced. Ben's grip helped, though. She shivered.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Was she? This didn't feel alright. But she wasn't drowning, and his touch was awfully nice, and little by little her racing heart began to slow. It did feel kind of good, aside from the terror of the weight of the water bearing down on her, and the loosening of gravity's hold on her limbs. If she could forget about that, it wasn't so bad.

After a moment, she nodded. "I'm okay."

His hands transferred to her hands. "When you're ready, come with me to deeper water."

"Ah." She grimaced. "This isn't good enough?"

"It can be, if that's what you prefer."

He said it gently, but when she glanced up she saw a glint of mischief in his dark eyes. They both knew she wasn't going to stay there. Rey's nature made her deliberate and careful, but not a creature who shied away from a challenge. And this, uncomfortable though it may be, was nothing if not a challenge.

So after a moment, Rey allowed herself to move about a bit, testing the way the water dragged her movements, aided her bouncing, resisted her hands just enough that the lightest flutters could redirect her momentum. She glanced at Ben, who waited patiently while she got her bearings, and nodded. He took her hands again and pulled her into deeper water, issuing soft instruction about what to do with her feet and legs to keep herself afloat.

This lesson, she was pleased to find, didn't come as awkwardly as his attempts to make her dance. Strange Ben and his strange, surprising ways. Always insistent on pushing her into new experiences, so long as she was willing. Sometimes she felt like they were kids, and he was the one running around eagerly showing her his world. Or at least, that's how she imagined having a friend would be like as a kid.

All in all, Rey didn't mind these new diversions. They helped her feel normal. And Ben always approached them firmly, but gently, showering her with unspoken admiration and affection which she felt sparking through their bond.

Soon, her fear dissolved, turning to a giddy kind of elation when she realized she wasn't about to drown. She felt confident enough to tread without holding Ben's hand, and even found herself able to follow when he swam around. He floated onto his back and smiled a sleepy Ben smile.

"You catch on quickly. Well done."

But she wasn't interested in praise. Something had caught her eye. The light of the waterfall played in a strange inconsistent way. She swam towards it.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for the abrupt end in the middle of the chapter! This one got super long, so I split it. Second half will be up shortly. :D

This chapter's fluff brought to you by Nakamagirl6! She put the idea in my head and it bounced around so much I had to put it in somehow.

Big things coming up very soon *cheeky grin*

Comment Responses:

 **Treblemkr** : Thank you so much! :D It's fun to let Ben throw his weight around a little. He was forced into a more tame role in the last fic for the purposes of necessary character growth, so it feels good to let him bite again.

 **engineerwenlock** : I've been traveling too, and fully understand. As far as the romance stuff — don't worry! I'm still fully committed to keeping this story 'T' rated. We've already achieved our max level of steam, so any romance that comes next won't get any hotter than that. I'm not particularly into smut myself, and tend to stick to a "closed door" policy when it comes to intimacy. So rest assured, I hear you, and I promise not to blindside you with anything crazier than what you've already read ;)


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Visions and Revisions

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

"Careful," Ben warned, following her as she paddled towards the waterfall. "The current might be strong over there."

Rey heard him and took note, but didn't let his caution dissuade her. She swam towards the cliff, her curiosity growing with every stroke. The roar of the falls filled her ears and sprayed fine mist into the air, coating the surrounding rocks and plants with a wet film. It beaded on her brow and caught in her lashes. Even as the mist blinded her, the current began to push against her efforts to advance, and she struggled to make headway.

Ben came up beside her. "Where are you going?"

"There. Look," she said breathlessly, treading and pointing. "Behind the falls."

The cliffside seemed darker in one spot, concealed by the endless tumble of white water from far above. It looked like—

"A cave," Ben said, interest coloring his deep voice. He took her hand and towed her towards the rocks nearest them so she had a place to rest while they assessed how to access that cave. Rey was grateful. As much as she was starting to accept the act of swimming, she found herself tiring quickly.

"There," she said again, indicating the rocky cliffside. "If we can use the rocks as handholds to help us slip in behind, we might not even have to touch the waterfall."

Ben accepted the plan, and together they moved, swimming over to the cliff face where they grabbed at the slick rocks and used them to pull themselves along, hugging the mountain as closely as they could. The water churned near the falls, and for a moment Rey wondered if it was going to suck them in, but it didn't, and soon they were on the other side of the booming water, drenched in spray.

Climbing into the cave was a quick job, as it was only a couple feet above the water line. Rey scaled it easily. She found herself frequently grateful for her years climbing around old ships. Ben and his well-worked, intensely strong body didn't have trouble either. They hoisted themselves into a narrow passage, tall enough for Ben to stand upright, plunging into not-quite-opaque darkness. Something around a bend seemed to illuminate the cave beyond.

They glanced at one another. Rey grinned, excitement rippling through her. Ben didn't say anything, but she knew he wouldn't stop her from exploring further. So she went, and he fell in behind her. They stepped into the dark.

The tunnel opened abruptly after the bend, expanding into the strangest thing Rey had ever seen.

A meadow. In the earth.

An enormous cavern, several hangar's worth of space both deep and wide, sprawled before them. From somewhere above, cracks in the earth allowed errant shafts of sunlight to pierce the space, diffusing along crystal veins. An unbroken field of green grass, grown lush and wild, carpeted the vast space. Wildflowers dotted the rolling emerald sea here and there.

"What…?" Rey heard herself breathe, astonished and enchanted all at once.

Ben swept his gaze around curiously. "It must be fed by an underground river, or perhaps the pond itself stretches beneath the cliff. The light…doesn't seem like it should be sufficient for growth, but perhaps photosynthesis works differently on this planet."

Rey huffed in amusement. Who cared how it worked? It did, and it was beautiful. But of course Ben cared. He wouldn't be Ben if he didn't question why things were. "It's a dream," she decided.

Despite her dripping clothes becoming icy sheets stuck to her chilled skin, she couldn't contain her suddenly bursting wonder and took off running, sprinting away from Ben and into the dreamscape.

All their recent adventures had prepared her to embrace the utter absurdity of this place. She had uncovered treasures buried in desert peaks, waltzed among the most gaudy agents of high fashion, adopted a leading role in an organization she hated, and learned to swim in the waters of a world they were trying to save. A meadow buried in the ground — why not?

As she sprinted, electric jolts of energy passed through her, the Force sparking like a live wire. She lost track of Ben, aware only of the cold air against her clothes, the dazzling beams of sunlight piercing the cavernous gloom, the soft, welcoming grass beneath her feet, and the shocks of energy bursting around her.

She laughed. The sound came rising up from her lungs in a pure eruption of delight.

Rey ran until her lungs burned and air felt like fire in her throat. Finally she stopped, gasping and panting, turning to see if Ben had followed. He remained a great distance away, following her at a leisurely walk, chin tipped towards the ceiling as he observed everything with a studious expression. She rolled her eyes, grinning as her racing heart thrummed musically in her ears, and let herself fall backwards onto the grass. Her skin was hot from the run, but her clothes icy cold. She shivered pleasantly.

Deep trenches ran along the ceiling of the cave, each glittering with silvery crystals refracting and scattering the light filtering in. Like a geode. They didn't look like Nova crystals. These were something else.

Rey closed her eyes and sank into her perceptions, enjoying the flashes of Force crackling through her like booms of thunder. This place was crazy. She didn't know why the Force acted like that in here. Just like the daylight coming in through the seams, it seemed to scatter, as if refracted a hundred different ways. She didn't know if she'd be able to do much with it in here. It seemed too jagged and raw to harness. Still, the phenomenon was pleasing. Like fireworks in her mind's eye. Like sparks shooting from a live, errant wire.

Eventually, Ben reached her. He appeared in her peripherals, the only source of movement in this otherwise frozen world. She lifted her head.

"I want to live here," she announced.

A slight smile played at the edges of his full lips. He glanced down at her, and then back up at the ceiling. "I think that would be unwise."

"Why? Aside from the waterfall exit and entry, of course." Mostly she was kidding about living here, but the way he made his reply piqued her curiosity.

He rolled something in his hands. That something produced a slight clicking noise. "Don't you feel the disruption?"

"Yeah, I do." Now she sat up. "Do you know what's causing it?"

Ben motioned to the glittering gashes in the rock above them. The veins of gemstone. "Those." His gaze fell to her again, and eventually he sank down to his knees beside her, opening his hand to reveal two little crystals. "And these. They were in the grass together."

Rey's eyes widened. She must have run by too quickly to notice them, but Ben and his erudite exploration had. She held out her hand and he tipped them into her open palm.

"That's kyberite, Rey. Raw kyber crystal."

Her gaze leapt back to him, eyes widening. " _Kyber?_ "

He nodded. "That's why this place feels the way it does."

The reason the Force seemed particularly electric here. Why it snapped and sparked with bright, buzzing energy.

Rey closed her fist around the two crystals. They seemed alive against her skin, warming under her touch, harmonious melody seeming to vibrate through her bones, straight to her heart. Like a song she'd known once, maybe in another life. It reverberated around the chambers of her soul, eliciting a soft puff of astonishment. She looked up at Ben in surprise. He watched her reaction closely, his brows pulling together as she met his glance.

"You feel it too…"

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "Their sound."

He held his hand back out and she returned one of them to him. He rolled it between his fingers once more. "That isn't supposed to happen. A kyber crystal will merely present itself as a Force-potent rock, but cool to the touch and otherwise silent. You aren't supposed to sense anything more unless it chooses you. If your particular energies align, it will warm, and you'll sense it. Its music, for lack of a better term. That's what you feel, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I feel that too."

"So they've bonded with both of us?" Apparently this wasn't a common thing. Ben acted like the planet had just shifted eight degrees on its axis.

"It would seem so." Staring at the crystal in his hand, he muttered, "I've never heard or read about that happening. It's peculiar."

Rey laid down again, gazing up at the veins of Force distortion cutting through the ceiling above her once again. She didn't see why it should be odd that the crystals could respond to two different Force users. The only experience she had with kyber was when she'd repurposed Luke's broken lightsaber into her new saberstaff. That crystal had cleanly broken in half. It felt warm under her touch then too, so she hadn't known most crystals wouldn't feel like that. She assumed they all did.

It filled her with a deep sense of comfort and belonging to know that it had chosen her, even though she'd already known that, from the moment it had flown right past Ben's outstretched fingertips and into her hand.

These crystals were similar in their melody, but somehow very different from the legacy pieces.

"When do they manifest a color?" she asked.

"That's the other puzzling thing. They should be manifesting some already. Once a kyber has chosen a Force user, it takes on color. But these two, despite bonding with both of us, haven't."

"Maybe because they can't choose between us?" Rey suggested with a slight laugh.

He didn't say anything. She saw his thoughts drifting to his own blade, to his own cracked and bleeding crystal. It had once been as pure as these, manifesting blue when it bonded with him, but it resisted his conversion to darkness and had been wounded in the process. He tucked the new little shard into the safety of his hand, sighing.

Ben lay down next to her, bare shoulder brushing against her own. "This was mostly definitely a sacred place," he decided.

"If anyone knew about it." Rey had the feeling that they were the first and only people to discover this impossible meadow. Called by the kyberite. The only two able to feel its magnetic pull.

Both held on to their bits of crystal, both thrummed with the harmonious psychic music, both felt the surging power between them. He turned his head to look at her, and she did the same. In each other's eyes, they found belonging and contentment.

Ben rolled, propping himself up on one elbow, angling his other arm across her body to form a kind of tripod.

Rey recognized the flames glowing hot and bright in the depths of his dark gaze. She let her fingers travel through the deep ridges along his muscular shoulders, pleased to see goosebumps rising in her wake.

He pressed his forehead against hers. "I want to find all the secret places of the galaxy with you."

Rey's stomach fluttered and she found the softness of his hair again. "I want that too."

When he kissed her, she was ready. Ready for the cascade of emotion that would turn her inside out, that would set her loose, that would spin her into oblivion.

Instead, the moment his full, soft lips brushed against her own, a profound shock rocked through her very soul.

On Ahch-To, the vision thundered around her, shadowy and clear, formed and formless, as much emotion as it was image. Here, it burst in her mind with dazzling precision. A grassy, rocky highland shrouded in heavy fog materialized around her, stone structures looming in the mist a few yards away. At her feet, someone kneeled. She looked and saw Finn. No — Rose. No, now Court. Now Poe. The face kept changing, becoming someone else. Now Temiri, only older. Now the Twi-lek youngling, no longer a youngling. Two other children, human and full of the Force. And then others, so many others — strangers, lifeforms in all their variety, taking turns sitting at her feet, watching her in expectation. A touch on the small of her back drew her attention to a phantom image of Ben standing beside her, the _Silencer_ behind him. He wore fine robes of unknown affiliation, not quite First Order, not quite Jedi. Her body felt heavy with the press of the Force bearing down on her, as if she didn't belong in her own skin. As if she could bend the very cosmos to her will at the slightest gesture. Someone — no, multiple voices — whispered unintelligibly around her. The shadow-version of Ben reached for her, and she reached for him, but when their hands might have touched, they passed through one another. And just like that the vision shattered.

Suddenly she was back in the cave.

Ben jerked away as if she were made of fire.

She sat up, gasping. "Ben!"

"I saw it too," he said, clearly shaken.

Rey stared at him, icy coldness creeping over her once-flushed skin. Ben felt like a live current beside her. She was afraid to touch him again. His attention turned from her to his hand, marveling at the crystal.

Rey dropped hers into his palm quickly, needing to rid herself of the overwhelmingly powerful surge of the Force. It was too much. She thought she might be sick. "What did it mean?"

Ben shook his head. He didn't want to venture a guess any more than she did. They'd learned from their mistake last time. Interpreting Force visions could be tricky and lead to erroneous emotional conclusions. But Rey felt confident enough to assume two things safely: it was a glimpse of a possible future, and in it, they were still together. The rest, she couldn't even begin to fathom.

A strange ache curled in her gut.

Ben stood, slipping the two crystals into a pocket. Rey wondered why he kept them. Maybe he wanted to try making himself a new saber with one of them. She herself would have been happy to leave them here, if they'd been the catalyst for such a raw connection to the Force.

Without a word, they started back towards the waterfall.

There was no Luke to break the reverie this time. No injustice to stir her righteous indignation and sweep away the lingering feelings of a profound Force experience. Neither of them knew what to say, so they made their way in silence. The sound of the falls echoed through the meadow, roaring static giving a background to their speechlessness.

On the one hand, she was glad that she and Ben were still with one another in the future. On the other, the things she'd felt, the faces she'd seen — it was too much to take in or make sense of. Why did the Force show them that vision? What were they supposed to do with it?

"Nothing," Ben said softly, answering this thought. "Acting on unclear visions is dangerous. We don't know what chain of events we'll set into motion."

Luke had tried to tell her as much last time. At first, after Crait, Rey thought he'd been right. In her misery over what happened with Ben, she had sometimes felt shards of regret for jumping to his aid without thinking through the consequences. Now, with the perspective of all that had happened since, she was very glad she'd done so. Which was why she accepted Ben's assessment now with only skeptical complicity.

Rey felt funny whenever she looked at him now. More than usual. It didn't have to do with his very bare, sharply defined body for once. It kind of knotted in her stomach, a sharp and intense. Something about that vision had altered, ever so slightly, her regard for him. And she wasn't sure how yet.

Ben seemed affected in his own way too. Far-off storms clouded his expression, and his mind was just a little more opaque than normal.

When they reached the waterfall again, they eased themselves back down into the water. It felt positively warm now, chilled as they were from the cold meadow. Rey was much more tired than when they began, and her muscles ached in protest as she started towards the middle of the pond.

Ben noticed and came up beside her, motioning to his shoulders. Rey understood. She grabbed on and wrapped her legs around his hips, clinging to his back as he swam the rest of the way back to shore for both of them. On the one hand, it made her feel childish and weak that she needed his help — but swimming had introduced her to new ways to use her muscles which her body had never experienced before, and this wasn't a place where she could sit down and rest until they recovered. And on the other hand, it wasn't at all unpleasant being all up against him like that. At least no shocking Force visions exploded into their minds at the touch.

On shore, they gathered their dry clothes and began to put them on again. It seemed silly and pointless, given the soaking wet nature of the rest of her clothes, but Rey went along with it. When they were more or less put back together, they began making their way towards the city. The howl of some animal sounded in the middle distance, but neither of them rallied much worry over it. They kept moving, away from the vision they didn't understand, away from the kyberite and the secret meadow, away from the things they didn't really want to talk about.

Eventually, Ben glanced at her and pulled them both back into their daily reality. "I think we have enough done on this world to begin the next steps. That will require less direct supervision. Reese can handle it. Perhaps its time to meet with Poe."

Rey's heart leapt and she looked at him in surprise. "You mean…?"

He nodded.

They were going to go back to the moon. To their little corner of the galaxy, unnamed and extremely remote. It was where they'd planned to go right after getting the supplies on Jakku, before getting utterly derailed by the buried treasure in the mountains. Rey forgot about every other thing that had happened this afternoon, thrilled only at the prospect of getting away from the First Order, and getting back to finally fix Ben's ship.

Well, maybe not everything. Thinking of the _Silencer_ made her remember the version of him from the vision and the mystery of the strange shift she perceived in their relationship in that future.

"When can we go?" she asked.

"Court can take you back to the Falcon as soon as you wish."

"Tomorrow?"

"If you want."

"Tomorrow, then." She might have said today, except that intergalactic travel could sometimes mean many, many hours without experiencing night — hopping from one daylight-filled planet to another. When business had to be conducted when everyone else was doing business, the chances to sleep became restricted to quiet hyperspace. Rey preferred to get one more night, especially after this little jaunt in the woods, and then begin her travels.

"When you're back in your own ship, pick up Poe on Coruscant and meet me on the moon."

Rey nodded. Her mind had begun to race far ahead of him, eager to get on with her mission and see the people she loved again. No more touring sad, broken cities. No more wading through a constant river of fear and paranoia flowing from anyone she approached. At least, no more of that for a while. She could take a little break. Her heart soared.

Ben said little when they got back to the city and found Court, holding her own in a drinking contest against some locals. She didn't seem at all affected by the alcohol, but Ben made her sit in the copilot's seat anyway while he took them back to the _Finalizer_.

"Wait, what ship did you say I'm taking you to? The what?" Court asked, perplexed at the change of plan.

"The Falcon. It's on Nabbo," Rey started to explain again, and then realized that wasn't the real reason for the question. "Oh. Yeah, it's that one. The _Millennium Falcon_."

Court's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "The same one that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?"

"Twelve," Rey and Ben said together, and she gave him a grin.

Court shook her head, whistling through her teeth. "You guys really are wild, you know? You seem to be somehow connected to all of the craziest stories in the galaxy."

"Your surprise disappoints me, Kursa," Ben said mildly. "You already knew who my father was. Why should we not also be in possession of his ship?"

"I actually didn't even think that particular vessel could still be in operation, okay? It's gotta be ancient."

"She still runs just fine," said Rey. When Ben gave her a sharp glance, she laughed and fixed her statement. "I mean, she runs. Sometimes fine, and sometimes with help."

That night, when they'd all parted ways and the lights dimmed to nighttime mode, Rey found herself hesitating in her own room. She hadn't spent a night in here yet. For the first time, though, she was contemplating it. She glanced between her bed and the door. Aside from that bewildering, emotionally wrenching vision, today had been beautiful and thrilling and had drawn her closer to Ben. She should have been beside him already, cuddled up in her favorite spot, basking in that incomprehensible peace of their togetherness. But there was that vision, and the agitation it had seeded in her heart. Like she needed to be careful with him. Like something enormous was on the horizon for them, and her heart panicked at the prospect. She didn't _think_ it portended anything bad between them, necessarily. But _something_. Something that now made her stall and feel stupidly shy about going to him now.

She fidgeted in indecision. No doubt Ben would read into her absence. Mustering her courage, determined to defy the shadowy ambiguity of the Force, she left and went to his room.

He didn't ask why she'd taken longer than usual, and she didn't feel him probing around her mind searching for her mood or thoughts. He just took her into his arms as he always did. She could hear his heart thrumming beneath her head, could feel his disquiet.

She pressed, gently, against the blockade of his mind. He didn't let her through. She lifted her head.

"Ben? Are you alright?"

He ran a hand absently along her arm, staring up at the ceiling, emotions far away from her discernment. He didn't reply.

Rey wasn't used to feeling such silence from his end of their bond — not since it all began, when she stumbled into his mind unexpectedly and found a man full of fear and hate and longing and agony. His distance made her squirm with unease.

Still, he pressed a kiss into her forehead, his lips brushing her skin and leaving a spot of warmth where his breath had grazed her. "I'm alright," he finally said. "I just need to be alone with my thoughts tonight."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No."

Relieved, she nestled in against him once more, tamping down her concern and curiosity. Not knowing the shape or even mood of his thoughts provoked her self-consciousness, but she would respect his wishes to ruminate in private. Just being near him was enough, even if she didn't understand why it somehow felt different now. Those two bits of kyber had to be somewhere nearby, too close, too disruptive to their usual exchange of energy. That had to be it.

* * *

Leia was no where to be found when Rey stopped by Naboo for the Falcon. Inez said she was extraordinarily busy, so Rey left a message with the girl to give her a small update of their plans. She gave Court a quick tour of the Falcon, laughing and empathizing with her awe and, eventually, her incredulity that such a junk heap could still be hyperspace-worthy. Eventually, however, they parted ways. Court, back to the First Order to retrieve Ben, and Rey to Coruscant to retrieve Poe.

Being back in the Falcon filled her with immediate and profound relief. It washed over her whole soul like a breath of fresh air. She reveled in the familiar smell of faintly burning electrical components. It was so good to be home.

She sent a quick message to Coruscant before lifting off, alerting them of her coming. Feeling no need to rush, she took her time inspecting the hyperdrive and running checks of the engines to make sure no one had messed with her beloved craft in her absence. Everything checked out as best it could. And then she was off, playing around a bit in the atmosphere over Theed before gliding out into space. The Falcon rolled and dipped and soared beneath her touch, and took her heart right along with it.

Now this was what she'd been missing! The First Order crafts were interesting enough, though she'd not flown as many as she'd liked during her investigation of the _Cataclysm._ But none of them was like the Falcon. Nothing was like the Falcon.

During the hyperspace flight, she used the refresher and changed out of the black robes into her old, familiar attire. By the time she landed in the bustling metropolis, her soul had been purged of all thoughts and leftover traces of her First Order role. She wasn't the Shadow anymore, she was just Rey.

When she emerged from her ship into the teeming airways of Coruscant, she buzzed with a new infusion of energy.

"Rey!" cried Poe, waving at her across the landing pad as he skirted a group of Quarren and made his way towards her.

She couldn't help herself. A huge grin broke out across her face and she ran towards him. "Poe!

They embraced — but briefly. He wasn't Finn, and their uncomfortable complications regarding Ben had tainted what closeness they might have developed as friends. Still, she felt genuinely happy to see him. It had been a while — since before returning to Jakku, she realized.

"How have you been?" Poe asked, warm as ever.

"Good. Busy, I guess." She laughed.

"Yeah? You enjoying being queen of those bastards?"

"I'm not the queen! I'm just…" she shook her head. Whatever new life, or game she was playing at, with Ben in the First Order wasn't really any of his business and not something she could easily describe. So instead, she pointed to the unusually high-voltage blaster at Poe's waist. "You having some trouble these days?"

"Bah." He waved dismissively. Together they turned and began walking towards the facility. "Some First Order loyalists have organized random attacks once in a while. For the most part they're sporadic and poorly executed, but sometimes we've had to used force. My kind, not yours."

Rey frowned. She didn't like the idea of her friends being in danger even still, when their victory was secure. "Do they think they're going to bring back the First Order single-handedly?"

He shrugged. "Everyone knows the First Order is out there somewhere, regrouping. It's not a secret. Many are convinced they will return and regain power. These loyalists hope to be among the favored when that happens."

"They're in for a big surprise," Rey muttered, thinking about Ryloth and the decidedly not-tyrannical work being done there.

Poe smirked. "If you could have your boy-toy call off his little attack dogs, that would really help us out. They got a lot more aggressive when we announced the trial dates for those war criminals you sent us."

"Ben isn't —" Rey stopped herself and drew in an exasperated breath. "I've had too many conversations with Court about this, I'm not going to start with you too."

"Who is Court?"

"She's our pilot." Rey motioned to the facility around them. "Anyway, how long are we going to be here? Not long, I hope."

"Not long," Poe assured her. "Just gotta finish up a couple things and wait for Finn and Rose to get off duty. Why do you need a pilot?"

"Appearances' sake. They're coming too?"

"Are you kidding? You think they were gonna let us go anywhere without them?"

Rey smiled, suddenly elated. This would be less a diplomatic reunion of strategy and planning, and more a pleasure trip with her favorite people in the galaxy. And if Ben intended to stay on the moon while he fixed up his _Silencer_ , so much the better.

And it was. It was so much better. The flight from Coruscant to the uncharted moon passed quickly, the quiet hyperspace hours utterly spent in the jubilant catching up of old friends. She learned that Finn's reconditioning program for ex-stormtroopers had become an enormous success, and he was now developing a new training program for young recruits. Rose, meanwhile, had been traveling all over the galaxy rehabilitating old First Order and Empire tech for new government use. And Poe was still neck-deep in tedious political maneuvering.

"I hate it," he confessed. "I miss flying and blowing stuff up."

Rey laughed. They wanted to know about her, too, but she wasn't entirely sure what to tell them. She tried to explain her lack of identity along the crew and the superstitious names they gave her, but it didn't quite convey her experience on the _Catalyst._ And she didn't want to explain her role of Ryloth until She and Ben revealed their reconstruction plan. So she opted for the easier route, feeding them amusing anecdotes about various First Order crew members, and relating a truncated version of what happened on Canto Bight — omitting Temiri and the personal details about her relationship with Ben.

Still, it felt so good to be reunited with them. Her soul drank in their presence, revitalized and reinvigorated after so much emotional hunger. Not that Ben and Court weren't fulfilling — they were — but she'd missed these three more than she realized.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

You know the feeling when you're hard-core overthinking something and it ends up tangling you into immoveable knots? I think that's kind of what happened with these updates. I have the whole rest of the story written, but I started to second-guess some of the directions and I stalled. Plotting is difficult, sometimes. But I'm done stalling. I need to start updating again. So, we're going with it how it is, at least a chapter at a time. Your feedback may help me make up my mind about some stuff.

Also, we're finally all settled in our new place and unpacked the last box yesterday (hooray!) so my time just got enormously freed up, so that helps too.

Second of all, DID YOU GUYS SEE THE ANNOUNCEMENT? LANDO, LEIA, AND LUKE ARE ALL GONNA BE IN IX! J.J. said they're using previously filmed but unused footage from Leia from TFA and TLJ to close up her storyline. Billy Dee Williams is coming back as Lando, and Luke is in there too so we can expect some Force Ghost stuff.

I originally started writing DFN to help me cope with the agonizing wait until Ep IX, and it worked really well - I've been able to get my feelings out onto the page (or screen) and not have them erupting inside me every time I think about Star Wars. Until now, that is. Now that I read this, it's all back in full force, and I **need** this movie to come out already. Nevermind that it's still almost 18 months away...


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Complex Corridors

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

"I can't believe we get to come back here," Rose sighed as Rey took them in a slow descent over the moon. "I thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing."

Rey grinned. "I hope the natives aren't sick of us yet."

Poe sat in the copilot's seat, watching the world emerge through the viewer. "Is it like Endor? Just a big forest moon?"

It certainly looked like that from this vantage — a sea of green canopy, leafy and lush, occasionally interspersed with overgrown clearings and meadows. Rey navigated towards one of these clearings, which she knew to be near the village.

"I've never been to Endor, so I can't say, but these natives aren't very much like Ewoks."

"Except that they also live in trees," said Finn. "But on the ground, in the trunks, not up above."

The leaves looked a little different, Rey decided, as they drew closer. The green wasn't quite so vibrant. In fact, they seemed more greyish-blue, rather than green. Odd. At least the skies were clear, though. The migrating air-creatures had moved on. She couldn't even pretend to be sad about that.

Touching down in the clearing, they saw the Lambda shuttle a few yards away. Ben had already arrived, then. She experienced a funny twist of feeling deep inside, an echo of what strange mood had overtaken them after the vision in the cave. But it passed quickly, unable to withstand the cajoling of her friends as they shut down and headed out into the humid air of the forest.

Poe whistled, craning his neck to look up at the canopy far above them, held aloft by massive trunks three times the wingspan of an X-wing in diameter.

"These are enormous," he said unnecessarily, drawing a laugh from the others.

Finn cocked his head, squinting. "Huh. I hadn't noticed."

Rose hooked her arm through Rey's, leaning her head on her shoulder. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Rey said, sincere and warm. Rose was one of the few people shorter than her. She rested her cheek on the engineer's head as they walked. "How's Finn?"

The two men had lingered behind, arguing like schoolboys about whether the trees were the biggest they'd ever seen. Finn motioned wildly to the forest around them, and Poe shook his head, throwing up his hands in exasperation. They followed, but at a slower, distracted pace.

Rose knew what the question really meant. "We've been so busy, we hardly get any time together. But..." she lifted her head, gaze falling to the ground as a blush crept over her cheeks and she smiled a coy kind of smile. "Yeah. They're good."

"You worked through your issue, then?"

Rey was a little surprised at herself for being so interested in bringing the topic back up, given how uncomfortable it made her last time. But things had changed a little in herself since then, and she suddenly felt a desperate need to know that her friends were alright, even after crossing that proverbial bridge.

"Yeah." The redness across Rose's cheeks deepened and she laughed a little. "I won't lie, it wasn't...I mean, the things I'd heard were kinda true, at first, but it got better. I love him."

"He really is the best," Rey sighed.

It was almost hard to know when they'd crossed from forest to village, since the buildings were all disguised in the trunks of the trees, but Rey recognized the clues. And it didn't take them long to find the others. Near the center of the village, where the most local traffic was had, they found Ben, Court, and the personal guard sitting at some tables, talking to Veze.

Heat flashed over Rey's skin, icy hot and full of intensity. Ben looked up sharply, as if he'd felt it. His heart lurched at the sight of her — she felt the echo of it through their bond. Hers did the same. Curse that vision and its effects, stirring up their slowly settling life of being comfortable with these new feelings for each other.

Court was on her feet first, striding towards them with with a huge grin and an undeniable swagger. With the First Order, she tamed some of her look so as not to shock them all too much - but here, she'd gone the full nine yards. Her braids sported an array of beads and coins and trinkets, her rolled sleeves exposed tattooed arms filled with bangles and some wearable tech, and on her waist hung a belt of many holsters. She looked a proper pirate afterall.

She ignored the others completely, bee-lining straight for Rey. "Scout, you made it!"

Rey slipped out of Rose's grasp to greet the pilot with a quick hug. The tiny Josnoran monkey leapt onto her shoulders and scrabbled around, screeching his own version of a greeting. Rey laughed. "So did you both, I'm happy to see."

"Everything went smooth as bantha butter," said Court. "Not gonna lie, though, I think everyone on that destroyer was happy to see us go."

Rey turned towards the others. "Court, meet my friends and fellow Resistance fighters. That's Finn, this is Rose Tico, and he's Poe Dameron. Guys, this is Court Kursa."

Court greeted them all, pausing at Finn. "What, you don't get a last name?"

"Finn's my brother," Rey said, as if it were all the explanation required.

Court laughed. "Oh, right. I should have seen that. The family resemblance is remarkable."

Finn grinned and shook her hand. "We both grew up without parents. I was a stormtrooper. She was a desert orphan. You get it."

"Sure..." Court raised a brow, glancing at Rey uncertainly.

"Your accent," Poe cut in. "Pamarthe?"

"Born and raised."

Rey turned, catching Ben's eye as he watched the exchange from his seat at the table. She touched Court's arm briefly by way of excusing herself and left her to get to know the others, slipping out of their midst and heading towards the others. Ben's gaze tracked her, and he stood when she drew near. Veze rose beside him, that serene, deer-like visage manifesting a smile in that unique way of his species. Rey edged in beside Ben and gave them both shy smiles.

Veze bowed. "Welcome back to Kee-git. I am so pleased at this surprise. I was telling your companion that you could not have come at a better time."

"The village has agreed to host us again," Ben said quietly. "I offered compensation, but Veze has refused."

"It is our honor and pleasure to share our bounty if you," replied the village leader. "We are not a deceptive people, Master Solo. Accommodating as we are, if you were a burden, I would politely explain."

"You are extremely kind," Rey said. "I'm so happy to be back."

"You have come at the best opportunity," said Veze. "We are in the midst of our autumn harvest. In three nights, we will have a feast to celebrate the good fortune of our crops."

Rey laughed. "This is autumn? It doesn't feel very different from summer."

"Not to your kind, perhaps, but we feel it. And so do the trees. You note the color change, at least?"

Rey glanced at the silvery-blue leaves and nodded thoughtfully. That explained it. Did the leaves fall? Did snow cover this place in winter?

Ben cleared his throat and tilted his chin towards the stormtroopers. "We have an excess of available hands with us this time. Perhaps we can put them to use assisting your harvest."

Veze blinked, thought, and nodded. "It is a generous offer. If they are willing, we will accept the help."

"We are all willing," Rey agreed, excited both by Ben's thoughtfulness and the idea of working alongside this sweet, kind species. "It's the least we can do to repay you for all you've done for us."

"I will arrange for your accommodations now, and later, we can show you how to do the work that needs doing."

He bowed and strode off, graceful and ghostly in his movements. Ben and Rey watched him go, the chatter of the others background noise to the harmonious hum of their bond. Ben turned, glancing down at her.

"Was your trip uneventful?"

"Yes. Yours?"

He nodded. Again his gaze flicked to the troopers, out of helmet, laughing and joking with one another as they shared a spread of food provided by the villagers. "I couldn't be certain of their safety without us there, so I brought them. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not." Actually, Ben's growing awareness of the needs of others touched her on a profound level. She offered him a shy smile. "Finn will probably be glad to see them, and they deserve a vacation too."

Ben's gaze broke from hers, traveling out towards the village of dwellings carved into the trunks of living trees. "I still think this people's guileless hospitality might be their undoing one day, but I can see why you became as fond of them as you did when we first came here."

Those early arguments seemed so distant now. Those days of tentative steps towards one another, resisting the inevitable surrender, trying to hold the ground they each occupied. How glad she was to be past all that. The middle was so much better. And it was nice that she didn't have to defend the generosity of Veze and his people to his cynical self anymore.

I'm glad to hear it," she said lightly. Conversation was so formal between them all of the sudden. As if they didn't know how to address one another, or what to say.

She turned, motioning for the others to join them. They hadn't seen Ben since before Jakku, and for much of the flight here, they'd been trying to discover if he'd gone back to his old ways in the role of Supreme Leader or not. Her assurances were not enough, they decided, since she had a massive blind spot where he was concerned. That didn't seem wholly fair, but she didn't fight them. They'd seen for themselves soon enough.

"What proof would they accept?" Ben asked, wading shamelessly through her thoughts.

"Just be yourself," said Rey. Then, laughing a little, she added, "I mean, be the version of you they need to see."

* * *

That night, Pru and Veze directed their human guests to two prepared bungalows - both much larger than what Rey and Ben had initially shared. Veze asked if they minded splitting between males and females, since it was a convenient even division of the group. They assured him that they did not mind, so the men went to one bungalow, and the women to the other.

The next morning, they sat down to hash out the formal, business part of this rendezvous. Poe had only grudgingly agreed to wait for explanations the night before, and the moment morning light began to filter through the doorway of his bungalow, he woke and began demanding answers.

"So what's this stuff I hear about Destroyers popping up around the galaxy? I've been trying to tell myself it's fine, but you got me a little worried here, Ren."

Rey, Ben, and Poe had gathered at one end of a long table inside the bungalow meant for the females. Finn and Rose sat on Poe's other side, and Court occupied the far end, feet up on the empty chair next to her, picking her nails clean with a pilex driver while Jido stole from a bowl of fruit.

Rey stifled a yawn as Ben began to explain the revitalization of Ryloth. She didn't sleep well the night before. Despite having made three planet hops that day, she tossed and turned in her bed, mind never quite sinking into restful unconsciousness. Court, Rose, and the female troopers seemed to sleep easily enough - their deep, relaxed breathing filling the space with the rhythm of oblivious slumber, but their presences felt alien and intrusive. She kept reaching out to find Ben, but her hand would smack against the wall every time, and she'd abruptly remember that he wasn't there.

It was embarrassing to admit that she'd gotten entirely too used to sharing the night with him, and that she'd lost some of her ability to get through it on her own. Embarrassing, and annoying. She'd always struggled to get to sleep by herself on Jakku, but this felt different.

When they got together again, she did not tell him about her failed night, or how absurdly she'd missed him. She squirreled it away in a part of her mind he didn't try to access. Now, though, sandy eyes and a lightly aching head distracted her from the conversation at hand. These were the consequences of her indulgent choices over the last couple weeks.

Her inner ears popped and her jaw tensed as she bit back another would-be-yawn.

"How in the name of the galaxy did you get the First Order to agree to that?" Finn asked, awed by the plan Ben had laid down.

"I told them that we would lose whatever power we have left if we didn't restore the well we draw from," he said.

"That's pretty smart," remarked Rose.

Court laughed from her end of the table. "He plays those fools like a valahorn. Trust me, your boy knows exactly what he's doing."

Poe glanced at her, shifting in his seat. "That's what makes me a little uneasy. Do you know who he was before he became your employer?"

"She knows," Rey cut in swiftly, annoyed. "She doesn't care."

Court pointed at her with the pilex. "Bingo."

Ben wasn't the least bit perturbed by Poe's perpetual mistrust, so Rey let go of her annoyance. She knew the two men got along better now, but these little reminders of their never-ending friction made her tired.

Court continued. "Face it, friend, if he were still the same Kylo Ren from a year ago, he wouldn't have been in a Pamarthian pub, letting me steal his drink, offering generous job contracts. So when I found out well-paying Mister Solo here was the same guy as that infamous demon wizard of Snoke, well that wasn't really a veto vote, you know?"

"Demon wizard," Finn laughed.

Even Poe had to grin. "You sound like you've got a few stories about your employment with these two."

"Like when I first discovered they could do crazy Force voodoo," she said, eyes widening as she nodded in confirmation.

"Now's not the time," Rey interrupted.

Ben agreed. His voice carried aloof tones of detached irritation. "We have deviated from our discussion."

Finn and Poe glanced at one another while Rose leaned over and whispered to her, "Tell us later."

Court winked.

A couple hours later, when they finished their discussion and headed out into the gray day, Court caught up with Rey and touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hey, I won't tell them that story if you don't want me to."

"It's fine," said Rey. "I don't mind, just don't tell them about Temiri. Or at least, don't tell them he's a Force-Sensitive. I don't want that getting out."

"Deal. The kid's secret is safe with me."

"I trust you," Rey said, grinning.

Court jogged off to catch up with the others. Most of them were off to help the villagers with the harvest. Rey made to join them, but Ben stopped her.

"I'd like to take the Falcon."

She blinked at him, surprised. "Take it where?"

"It's full of parts. I'd like to land it near the _Silencer_ so I can begin the repairs."

Right. The parts they'd won from Jakku at the start of all this. She'd nearly forgotten. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No," he said, making it sound as gentle as he could. "This is something I need to do alone for a while."

Ben hadn't had to fix his own ship in who-knows-how-long, and Rey harbored some doubts about whether he knew remembered how to do it. But she felt his peaceful mood, and his desire for solitude amid so much company, so really couldn't fault him for wanting to go.

She nodded. "Take it."

He made a movement, a jerk towards her, as if maybe he meant to do something more than just verbally say goodbye, but his gaze flicked to the others and he stopped himself. Instead, he gave her a meaningful look, and turned to go. She didn't mind. She'd felt what he wanted to do loud and clear, and it made her heart stumble into a thrilled cadence.

She followed the others out to the other edge of the village, where the forest stretched on and on in fathomless depth, monumental trees creating the most royal hall known to the galaxy. Or rather, unknown, since this tiny place didn't even really have a name — at least, not one that she'd heard of. The troopers were already there, conspicuous intruders among the graceful natives. The moved among the fields of crops, sprawling in verdant riot over the ground beneath the trees. They were harvesting grains, fruits, and vegetables, the likes of which Rey had only seen here, and no where else. The harvested crops went into baskets woven from thin bark fibers. Younglings and elders alike assisted, the entire village assembled to scour the fields of their bounty.

Rey, Court, and Rose together found Pru and her daughters. Pru was happy to have their help. They began plucking brilliant magenta pods. The pods were covered in what looked like sharp spines, but which bent softly beneath their fingertips. The fruits had a sharp fragrance, earthy and sweet, but with a ferocity that made the mouth water as if in reaction to spicy heat. Rey remembered eating some on a previous visit, and knew they were even better than they smelled.

Rose and Court conversed quietly through their work, trying to get to know one another better. Their personalities diverged as much as any two people's could. Rose's innate goodness and sweetness, her energy and optimism, and her honorable dreams made her sympathetic and charming. Court's irreverent and uncouth attitude, her lackadaisical and ever joking nature, and her adaptable morals made her abrasive and alarming. Yet, they did manage to find common ground — both had the same core of compassion, and both came from backgrounds of strong family love. It wasn't immediately easy going, but little by little they forged a congenial path together.

Rey had to admit, it felt a little weird, watching these two worlds merge. Like reconciling everything she'd been through before, Jakku and Takodana, the war and all its harrowing losses, to what she was now. Somehow, the two Reys seemed more distantly related than direct cause-and-effect, yet these two sisters of her two lives were here, talking, as if it was all the same thing.

Rey had been talking to Pru and trying out a few of the native tongue's words on her daughters when she heard Court, as perceptive as always, ask Rose about Finn.

"So do you two share an arrangement of aggressive cuddling?"

Rey snorted, even as Rose laughed. "What does that even mean?"

"You know. Do you guys do the Mandalorian Mambo?"

Rose's laughter surged, loud and delighted. "The what?"

"The Wookiee Wobble?" Court grinned, pleased with herself. "What I mean is, are you guys an _item_?"

It took a moment for Rose to stop giggling, but after she'd recovered, she said, "Yeah, I guess we are. How'd you know?"

"You've got chemistry," said Court.

Rose glanced at Rey, smiling an abashed little smile. "Thanks. I kinda think so too."

"If you weren't already noodling, or even being doing something more kid-friendly like this one here, I'd tell you to wake up. But you two are awoken. That's good. So this is like a happy little honeymoon for you all. Sonic-boom her with Mister Chimera King, you with Super-Trooper. What about Flyboy?"

"Poe? He's kind of lost in the shuffle I guess. Why is Ben a chimera king?" Rose threw her a curious glance.

Court smirked, her eyes flashing wickedly. "Ever seen a Kamino chimera?"

Rose shook her head.

"It's this creepy creature that swims around in oceans of Kamino. Super predatory. It's one of that planet's apex predators, and one of the main reasons the Kaminoans had to evolve and get the heck out of the oceans. The chimera can appear three different ways, depending on whether they're hunting, socializing, or attracting a mate. That's totally him, don't you think? He's a different person - a man with three heads. The leader, the boss, the boy. Trust me, when he's in his Supreme Leader mode, he is scary as sithspit."

Rose nodded. "Trust me, I know."

"But then with us, he's like this aloof, disinterested, yet generous boss. Then with _her_ …" she nodded in Rey's direction, brows lifting in unspoken significance.

Rey bent over another plant, deliberately ignoring her while warmth crept into her face. She heard Rose giggle again.

Court continued. "He's total mush. He tries to hide it, but it's plain as day whenever he looks at her. It's a sweet, if completely corny, contradiction."

"Hush," Pru said sharply, breaking in with such ferocity that it startled all three women. She was standing rigid, black dewdrop eyes fixed on a point out in the forest. Her long tufted ears swiveled, and her nose twitched. Her daughters stood the same way, staring in the same place. Rey glanced around and saw that all the villagers held the same pose.

She'd been too caught up in listening to her friends talk to notice the ripple of unease in the Force coming from that area of the woods. She set down her basket, hand twitching towards the lightsaber at her waist.

Then they heard it — a strange, undulating trumpet noise, filling the air. It echoed in the ears, wrapping around the body like water around a large rock in its way. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, from every direction, but the villagers never looked away from the one spot in the distance.

"Pru," Rey said urgently. "Are you in danger?"

"They come every year," she said in low reply, her whole body as still as if she were a tree herself.

A little ways off, Poe, Finn, and the stormtroopers swung around, staring at all the living statues surrounding them. Rey caught their bewildered glances, saw that Court and Rose looked just as uncertain. The sound droned on and on, sometimes from a single source, and sometimes from many.

Rey grabbed Pru's arm. "Do they hurt you? Who are they?"

Pru's head finally turned — along with every other villager's — towards Veze. Several yards ahead of them in the woods, he was the only one walking in the direction they'd all watched. He lifted his arm at the elbow, and in one fluid movement, they all surged forward. Only the younglings stayed put, sinking down in their places, effectively concealed by the height of the crops.

"Um," said Court, staring at sea of villagers flowing in behind their leader.

"Rey," whispered Rose. "I don't have any weapons."

Rey frowned. "Neither do they."

Poe and Finn were looking at her too. As if she had the key to what was happening. As if she knew. Slipping her phantom fingers into the cold current of the Force, she tugged on the thread that tied her to Ben. She could feel him, not very distant — his consciousness a marbled monument dramatically bending the energy around him. It wasn't so much a thought as a feeling which she sent him, a general sense of need and urgency. After that, she turned her attention to the Force pulsing through the forest ahead.

She sensed malice rolling towards them like a wave.

Sprinting to catch up with Pru, Rey left the others to scramble after her.

"They're here to steal from you," she gasped.

Pru didn't look at her, but at least was willing to speak. "They want our harvest, since they can make none of their own."

"Do they kill you?"

"Sometimes." She didn't sound grim or concerned, just calm. Like always.

"I thought you guys said you didn't often encounter evil!"

"They aren't evil."

Veze motioned again, and now the villagers began fanning out to either side of him, forming a long, horizontal line. Rey followed Pru, her heart pounding a little harder now.

"Stealing isn't usually the trait of the good," she observed acidly.

Pru took her hand as they fell into the line. Someone on her left took her other hand as well. "Stealing is a trait of the desperate, which they are. They have no food to preserve them through the winter. Their population will die, except for the queen and her consort, and whichever of them can eat enough."

"The whole population?"

The sound swelled to an unbearable volume and swallowed up any ability to converse.

Poe came up behind Rey, pushing her out of the chain of villagers. She stumbled, shooting him an angry glare. But he joined her and motioned to the lightsaber at her side, shouting something she couldn't even begin to hear. Then he pulled a blaster out of a concealed holster at the back of his pants and waved it.

Rey understood then. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew as well as she did that they were the only armed ones in the bunch. No — not the only. Court ducked under the line, pulling up next to them and producing an assortment of weapons of her own. Where she stowed them all, Rey could only guess. She tossed a small blaster pistol to Rose, an electric knife to Finn, and unfolded a plasma rifle for herself. The troopers had all been surreptitiously carrying too, and assembled behind Rey, blaster barrels whining high above the noise as they charged up.

Poe exulted — a cheer erupting from him which no one heard.

And then the marauders arrived.

They were a species none of the humans had ever seen before — clearly evolved from some kind of insect, but they were grotesquely fleshy instead of armored in exoskeleton. They were big. Even from a distance, Rey could see that they were almost as tall as the villagers themselves. They reminded her of the biting flies on Ryloth, three spindly legs on either side, the stilts supporting their slim, elongated bodies. The first pair of legs stretched out in front of them and were bent at the elbow like arms, but far too long. Instead of a piercing proboscis, however, they all had wicked mandibles dripping with saliva. Each had three sets of wings and one set of mirrored black eyes beneath fuzzy antennae. The back half of their curving abdomen was covered in bristling black hair.

"Kriff, they're disgusting," said Court.

And Rey realized, abruptly that their sound had died away. She never did see how they produced it.

Finn, horrified, choked out, "I hate bugs. I hate bugs."

"Are they here to eat the villagers?" asked Rose.

"Their crops," said Rey.

"We'll give them hell if they try," Poe snarled.

They were going to try. Of course they would. They weren't going to be dissuaded by a band of tiny humans and a line of humanoid deer, not when the threat of death spurred their appetites.

The creatures stalked forward, mandibles clacking in the most shudder-inducing way.

"Oh kriff," Court swore again, softer this time, shoulders hunching up around her neck.

The line of villagers held steady and silent behind them. Rey turned and trotted over to Veze. He gave her a slight, acknowledging nod.

"How do you fight them off?" Rey asked. "Pru said sometimes they kill a few of you. How do you defend yourselves?"

"We do not let them through," he said simply.

"They look like they can bite you in half!"

"We are harder to kill than that."

Being bitten in half seemed like a pretty surefire way to die, hardy species or no, but Rey didn't argue. She just turned worriedly towards the approaching hoard and pulled her lightsaber at last, igniting both ends.

Poe fired the first shot. He waited until the first insects had drawn as close as he dared allow, then spat off a deadly accurate blast. It struck the creature's head, scorching a trail right through its soft body. It crashed to the ground with a thud, legs flailing, a tail curling in on itself as it skidded lifelessly towards them.

The troopers took this as their cue and began firing. A few of them let out whoops of excitement, as if they were just hunting womprats. Finn swung his knife around, giving the others a crazy look.

"This? You want me to kill those things with this? Doesn't that require getting up close and personal?"

"It's all I had," Court said sharply, firing her own plasma rifle.

"Up close and personal is where this is all headed anyway," Rey assessed, watching the hoard descend upon them despite their rapidly falling forerunners.

She broke from the group, sprinting forward to meet the first of the insects to get within melee range. Her saberstaff cleanly amputated its two front legs at the elbow and she slid beneath, twirling it up and through the soft abdomen as it thundered to the ground behind her. From there, she lost track of what exactly was happening.

Very few insects actually reached the line of villagers. Those who did bit and clawed at them, but seemed unable to actually break bone. Rey realized that their bodies had grown too big for flight, rendering their angrily buzzing wings rather useless. Better for the villagers, though, since the bugs didn't seem quite tall enough to leapt over the line. Since standing there like a living barricade seemed their only effort, it was fortunate their enemies could only dash themselves against it.

She sliced through as many as she could, only hazily aware of her companions blasting through the numbers beside her. Then, suddenly, while she was decapitating her most recent victim, her whole soul ignited with a blazing presence.

Ben.

His red saber came jutting through the body of an insect before she saw him, but when she did, their eyes locked.

"Rey," he bellowed, but not in alarm. He was demanding her attention. He hacked his way towards her, so she began to make her way to him. Blaster fire zipped around them, one time dangerously close, and she threw an angry glare at whichever of them had fired the shot. Rose waved and grimaced in apology. Finn was grappling an insect, pushing his knife ever closer to the creature's head while it scrabbled at him and tried to shove him off.

Finally Ben's hand met hers, and their minds instantly joined. She saw what he wanted, and saw that it could work. Together they extinguished their sabers, extended their free hands towards the nearest foe, and fueled each other's power as they drew the circle of their minds at the onrushing creature.

It wasn't at all like a human mind, or even a humanoid mind. It felt like being dropped into an empty chamber, no motivate or thought filling it. It was like a hub, with hallways extending in every direction to other chambers exactly like it. All of them empty. All of them a mere room along a complex tunnel system. A maze of minds, back and back. Together, she and Ben could feel the whole network of insects — these marauding few, and the hive in a dry valley a hundred miles away. The only current running through the thousands of empty chambers were the orders of the queen, whose mind they found by following the current. Hers wasn't an empty chamber. Her's was an enormous honeycombed room filled with mirrors, and motives, and children. Endless and forever. Generations upon generations, into the past and into the future. Her children would die every winter, except those who could eat enough to support fertilized eggs. They would be lulled into hibernation while the eggs incubated, and in the spring, they would awaken — spared the mass extinction of the hive to help foster the new generation, from the eggs, and from the ones the queen would produce throughout the year.

Ben brushed aside this information, focusing instead on putting a single grain of knowledge into her mind. Not a suggestion, but a demand.

"This village is a dry well," he said.

Rey reinforced the idea. "The children will get no food from here, and they will die."

The queen knew her scouts were being slaughtered. They could feel her alarm. This had never happened before.

"This killing will happen every year," Ben agreed.

Rey felt a swell of understanding within herself, and pushed it into the queen's mind, through the many passages and many chambers, through all her children, right to her core. "Because this is the dying place now. Worse than winter. Every harvest, death sits here."

Ben put images of flashing lightsabers and blaster shots behind Rey's words, scenes of the carnage happening around them. The queen shuddered, unaware of the intrusion, but fully alert to every new certainty passing through her head. The current running through the scouts' mind changed, growing cold and rushing urgently.

Clasping her hand tighter, Ben pulled Rey back, pulling out of the minds before they got mixed up in that flow of fear. The insects flowed backwards now, like a river in reverse, their trumpeting sound filling the air as they echoed their queen's cry and fled back the way they came, crawling over the bodies of their fallen without horror or emotion.

When they'd gone, immediate conversation broke out along the line of villagers as they checked one another for grave wounds and wondered about the sudden, hasty retreat.

Rey glanced at Ben, and he at her. With a measure of reluctance, he let go of her hand and they turned to assess the others.

Finn was covered in light blue goo, disentangling himself from a dead insect and gagging.

Court helped Poe up off the ground where he'd been knocked during the fray, holstering her rifle. Rose ran to help Finn. None of them seemed injured. Together, Rey and Ben made their way over to Veze where he was busy checking those around him.

"Is everyone alright?" Rey asked him.

"A few moderate injuries, but nothing our physicians cannot treat. That was not their usual exit. In times past, they only go once we have exhausted their strength, enough of them have managed to break through and steal crops, or another scouting party has found an easier source of food elsewhere. Sometimes it takes many hours."

"Why don't you fight back?" Ben asked. His brow was drawn in an expression caught between puzzlement and disdain.

"We do not seek to harm any living thing," Veze said simply. "We know that the prospect of dying drives them to do this. If we could help, we would, but given access to our fields, they would devour everything like a pestilence. You may have the power to use violence as a tool, but we do not."

Rey could feel how this annoyed Ben, confirming his already impatient attitude towards the passivity of this gentle people. But she understood it. These creatures were servants of life, incapable of being agents of death, no matter how dire the circumstances. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, the humans straddled both sides quite comfortably, and had no qualms killing when survival was on the line.

Veze turned and announced that the harvest for the day was finished, everyone should gather their baskets and go home to treat their wounded. They would begin again the following day.

"We will be here next year," Rey promised him. "For the harvest. If they try to come back we will remind them why they left this time."

Ben gave a single nod. "They will almost certainly avoid this area from this day on, but just in case."

Veze's face revealed only the faintest hint of surprise. "This miracle comes to us from the Force, I presume?"

Rey nodded.

He smiled, patting both on their shoulders. "Your convergence has blessed us all, and no doubt will continue to bless others. The next child born with the gift in our village will be taught your legacy, and one day, will learn from your example. You shall go on with the next generation."

Rey and Ben exchanged a glance again, and a sudden heat rose in her face. For some reason, Veze's words made her remember the Force vision and the faces of all those children staring up at her, waiting for her to teach. And the change between herself and him. That profound river of magma, not a fire blazing hot a bright as it was now.

As they all headed back to the village, Finn and Rose peppered her with a hundred questions about what she and Ben had done, and what they'd learned about the insects. Finn smelled sickly sweet, dripping with guts as he was. Poe and Court hung back a little, going over the excitement and thrill of the skirmish in animated detail.

For the rest of the day, it was all anyone could talk about. Rey quickly tired of it, finding her own experience in the minds of the creatures utterly impossible to explain and impossible for anyone else to understand. She also grew bothered both by her human companions' villainizing rhetoric and the gentle, excusing words of the villagers. So she went with Ben back to the _Silencer._ He didn't seem to have the same need to be alone anymore, so they spent the final hours of the day working on it together.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

Comment Replies:

 **XxEviexX:** Heheh thanks! 3

 **Carryonil:** Thank you so much! I really appreciate the vote of confidence.

 **engineerwenlock:** That's an interesting perspective I hadn't even considered. It's true, revealing the inclusion of these characters does run contrary to J.J.'s MO, so you may be right about that. I wonder if it was to appease some of the butt-hurt fanboys who hated at Luke died, but then LucasFilm and Disney have been pretty clear that they aren't apologizing for anything Rian did, so maybe not. Some flashbacks would be great. I really want Luke to harass Ben a little as a Force Ghost. Haha I love that salty parting of "see you around, kid." So I really hope we get some of that. But flashbacks exploring some of these relationships better would be great too.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Do I Dare?

 _"Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,_

 _And be the singing-masters of my soul._

 _Consume my heart away; sick with desire"_

-WB Yeats

* * *

 **Quick A/N:**

Some steam ahead, but I will stick to our T rating as promised. Don't worry.

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

Two days later, Rey sat on a stump beneath a linen canopy, munching a bowl of nuts given to her by one of Pru's daughters. She watched the villagers mill around, preparing for the harvest celebration. It looked like it would be a wild night, if the weather stayed like this. Morning had dawned sluggishly, hindered by thick, heavy clouds rolling over the tops of the towering trees, trailing wet, misty swaths in their wake. Pinpricks of damp air beaded on every surface, guaranteeing the promise of heavier rain later. It was a perfect morning for staying in bed.

But Rey couldn't. She still wasn't sleeping well, and she'd awoken today with an extra measure of restlessness jittering through her. Though the grey dawn felt like a faintly whispered lullaby, trying to lull her into snuggling deeper into her blankets and back to sleep, she herself felt as if she were made of sparking electricity. Enough friction, and she'd become a lightning bolt cracking through the wet air. It was a crazy feeling, and it had driven her out of bed much earlier than usual. Court and Rose were both happy to oblige the muted morning, both them waving Rey off when she tried to ask if they wanted her to bring them any breakfast.

Now, she sat. Watched. The villagers didn't seem to mind the mist, their short fur catching the water and holding the droplets like dew. Some were off in the fields, finishing the last rows of crops. Most of the work had been completed the day before — today was largely about getting ready for the night's celebration.

Rey drummed her fingers on the side of her bowl, crunching another nut, trying to let the calmness of the inhabitants cool the flames licking at her soul. She didn't know if she wanted to run until her legs gave out, scale the largest star destroyer on Jakku, or throw herself into a lake and try swimming again. She wanted _something_.

BB-8 rolled through the square, head swiveling, a gaggle of children following him. He spotted Rey, gave a happy chirp of surprise, and sped in her direction.

"Hello," she greeted warmly, shooing away the children who began to poke at him. When they left, she laughed. "You're even more popular now than you were last time."

The droid produced a happy beep. He didn't mind his devotees.

Rey sat with him in content silence for a while, feeling for the briefest moment like they'd never left that first time. Her little round companion at her side, her confusing enemy-turned- _something_ squirreled away somewhere in the same village. The three of them began this chapter of their journey together, and now here they were again — only with many others in tow this time. And looking around now, Rey knew that even though she hadn't seen the whole galaxy yet, she thought she had an answer for Ben's quest to help her find the prettiest spot. Although, maybe he wouldn't count it. Because even though it _was_ beautiful, what made this place her favorite had much more to do with the people who cultivated this land, and the memories it held for her.

She fidgeted, the restlessness swelling again.

"Have you seen Ben?" Her gaze darted to BB-8, whose head swiveled to look at her. "He's usually up before anyone else."

A string of electronic chatter informed her that Ben was currently in the bungalow with the other men. Rey blinked in surprise. She expected to hear he'd gone off to the _Silencer_ again. Though he'd helped with the harvest for most of the day yesterday, he had spent every other available moment working on his ship. Rey was pretty sure this was mostly to avoid the excessive socialization of the human pack, but she didn't pry into his mind to find out for certain. He felt good working on his ship, and that was enough reason to leave him alone about it. Sometimes she joined him, and sometimes not.

Today, in her strange mood, she found his absence unbearable. She stood, setting the bowl on the stump behind her. "Come on, let's go see what they're up to."

* * *

 **Ben**

* * *

"You don't think this will make our new senators a little nervous, if I just allow it? Shouldn't we send some scouts to investigate your activities?"

Poe leaned on the table, dark brows low over his sharp, confrontational gaze. His body didn't carry hostility; this current tension came only from the conversation and not from any lingering seeds of contempt. Still, Ben had to remind himself more than once not to let his impatience break through his own mask of apathy.

"Do you even have enough of a military formed to have scouts to send?" he asked, a little too much mocking leaking into his otherwise even tones.

Poe opened his mouth to respond, but BB-8 rolled in then, and behind him, Rey. Her cheeks were flushed and bright against the cool morning, beads of water collected in her hair. Bright energy illuminated her eyes, and behind them, a soul churning in restlessness.

She stopped in the doorway, sweeping her gaze over the three men, their half-finished breakfast, and the tense looks on their faces. A smirk played mischievously at the corner of her mouth. "Isn't it a bit early for all this?"

Finn pointed at her and swung his head at Poe and Ben. "See? That's exactly what I said, isn't it? Thank you. Good morning, Rey."

Behind her, the clouds finally tore open, and the rain began to fall in earnest. Rey quickly stepped in to the shelter.

"I mean," said Poe, "isn't _all this_ exactly what we're here for? Might as well take advantage while we've got the time. And we haven't had much time until this morning."

Ben sat back in his chair, flicking his attention from his companions to Rey. He surreptitiously assessed the sharpness of her movements, the subtle change in her face, the not-so-subtle waves of energy pouring off of her. The Force bent through her in a different way, skewed and splintered like light through a cracked prism. Something was up with her.

When she caught his scrutinizing stare, color climbed in her cheeks. "Come on," she said, addressing all of them. "Today is a day of celebration. It's about fun, not work."

Finn glanced outside skeptically. "That doesn't look like celebration weather to me."

She dismissed this objection immediately. "Veze said autumn storms are expected. They aren't surprised, and it won't stop the feast tonight."

"Good," said Poe. "This is some of the best food I've ever had, and if this is what they consider daily fare, I can't wait to see what a feast means for them."

Ben watched her fidgeting, concealing impatience, trying to make herself be okay with the small talk. But he knew better. He well recognized the need to vent unendurable feelings. And though she wasn't angry, and the buzzing he felt around their bond wasn't negative, he knew she'd burst in some alarming fashion if she didn't find an outlet soon.

This unexpected development intrigued him. He'd rather help her unravel her tightly wound mood than sit around with these two and talk about grand political philosophy.

So he cleared his throat softly and lifted his chin, darting his gaze back to her. "I was going to head to the _Silencer_ after we were finished, but I believe we can conclude now. Will you assist me with some repairs?"

"Of course I will," she said, eyes sparkling with pleasure.

Poe nudged Finn. "He never asks me to help with repairs, you notice that?"

Rey fired back quickly. "I think I know a little more than you do about Imperial wrecks."

Finn laughed. "Can't argue with that."

Poe looked like he wanted to, but Ben stood and headed for the doorway, cutting off his opportunity.

"You're really going to go do mechanical work in this rain?" Finn asked them when Rey turned to follow.

"It won't be a problem," said Ben.

He stepped outside and felt with unseen fingers for the fabric of the Force, drawing it over his head. When Rey said goodbye and stepped out to join him, he extended his invisible umbrella to her. Raindrops pinged off the air above them.

"That's cheating!" Finn called after them as they headed out into the cloudburst.

Ben smirked. Rey brushed her hand against his when they got to the edge of the village, and he caught it, threading his fingers through hers. He felt something about her aura, her energy, turn from fluttering restlessness to sharp, jagged need. Touching her felt like holding on to an exposed, active wire. It was almost enough to make him let go.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked mildly, hoping she wouldn't find the words more confrontational than he meant them.

"I don't know, she admitted, laughing and breathless. "I feel so strange. Do you feel it too?"

"No." Then, so she wouldn't misunderstand, he amended, "What echoes I feel come from you alone."

They struck out into the wet wild, finding the path which would lead them back to the _Silencer_ , and back to the Falcon parked next to it. Ben was quite used to the trail by now, but it felt different today, and not merely because of the rain.

"Finn's right. This is cheating. Let me go," she said after a moment, waving her head over her head as if she could wipe away his forcefield keeping them dry.

He frowned. "You'll get soaked."

The rain fell in heavy, steady sheets now. Even the thick tree canopy high above couldn't keep it out. The path became a soggy line of grass and mud, impromptu rivulets cutting their way beneath the plants. Ben already disliked the gobs of earth clumping against his boots. He couldn't even imagine allowing the rain to soak him as well.

"Ben, it's only water," she laughed.

Reluctantly, he pulled his woven energy away from her, keeping only himself sheltered. She squinted, hunching against the sudden barrage of rain, but her gasps and giggles told him she was, bewilderingly, fine with it.

Taking his hand again, she pulled him forward, faster now. She acted as if every raindrop spattering against her skin gave her life, spurred her energy, chased her towards some destination or goal. Ben endured it, reluctant and uneasy. Though he could feel her mood clearly, he couldn't see what lay behind it, or where it led. Part of him churned with a vague dread that it meant something big was about to happen. Big didn't have to be bad, but in his experience, it usually was. And since that vision on Ryloth, there was a particular event horizon he'd rather avoid altogether. Hopefully whatever had gotten into her didn't have anything to do with that.

The plants bowed low, beat into submission by the relentless downpour. Fresh fragrances permeated the air, wet tree trunks, clean earth, petrichor everywhere. Rey acted like she was entirely beguiled by the weather, drawn into it as if by the lure of some hidden piper. She pulled him still, urgency in her step. The worn path curved right to head to the crash site, but Rey veered left instead. Ben glanced at the now abandoned trail, bemused.

She tugged him to a familiar destination. A fallen tree, enormous and hollow. Ben finally moved ahead of her, seeing a chance to get out of the rain. She laughed as he pulled her to it with the same insistence she had been using on him all this time.

As soon as they got into the shelter of the trunk, she let go of his hand to wipe the water from her face.

"I think all those years alone in the sand gave you a skewed idea of what rain is and what we do with it," Ben grumbled, though there was no real complaint in it.

She threw him a grin and turned to examine their new surroundings.

In the tree, everything was dry and calm and serene. The patter of steady rain against the hollow shell made a rich, deep sound and elicited pleasant, earthy aromas. Ben looked around, suddenly assaulted by a powerful wave of memory. Of Rey, attending to his need, angry and compassionate in equal measure, hurt but full of concern. It was the face he'd longed to see, he'd dreaded to see, since he last glimpsed it amid his ruin on Crait. The most beautiful face in the galaxy. The one, he knew, would be his undoing if he let her in. But how could he keep her out? He hadn't been strong enough. When the Force, or Snoke, or whatever influence set them on their collision course, they'd consigned Kylo Ren to a slow unraveling.

And in this forgotten tree, he might have died. But here, she set aside her own injury for the sake of his, and her selflessness had drawn him up out of a pit of damnation.

He let out a long breath, clawing his way out of the memories and into the present again.

Rey had wandered a few feet away from him, looking around much like he had done. She glanced back at him, her eyes softer and calmer than they'd been all morning.

"This is where I found you," she said, pointing to the ground. "I thought you were dead."

"So did I." The loneliest he'd ever felt was when death drew its shroud over him, and he had no one beside him at the end of all things.

She took an impulsive step towards him, as if she'd heard the thought. No, of course she had. He had kept part of his mind carefully partitioned since that damnable vision, anxious that she should not see exactly what he saw, but he'd forgotten to use it now.

"You weren't alone, Ben. You never were."

To this, he said nothing, instead watching pearls of water drip from her hair, sliding down the side of her face to collect on her chin. It reminded him of how she'd appeared during their last mysterious connection across the stars, when she'd spilled her heart to him and they'd touched one another. Except she'd gotten this soaked of her own volition this time, which he could not fathom in the slightest.

Her hand drifted self consciously to her brow line, wiping away the water with a slight laugh. "Come on, Ben, spontaneity is fun sometimes."

"I believe you and I have different definitions of the concept," he said, mildly amused.

This coaxed the kind of smile out of her that he loved best. A shy thing, uncertain and reserved, but in her eyes a spark of fire that never seemed to go out. She took another step towards him.

"Hey…Ben?" she said, color blooming in her face as she caressed the syllable — _his_ syllable.

Goosebumps scattered over his skin. "Rey?"

She drew her lip between her bottom teeth, hesitating. Ben could have found what she wanted easily enough, if he'd let any part of her in to his mind. But he didn't. He held back from her, nervous.

"Can we — will you — ?" She gave a little puff of laughter and her words failed.

She stepped in very close now. Ben watched as she bit her lip again, those greyish, greenish eyes lifting to him beneath her dark lashes. Shy and hesitating, she traced her hand up his chest, up the back of his neck, into his hair. He knew what she wanted then. His attention fell to her lips, soft and parted, so very tempting. She leaned up on her toes. He pulled her hips in against him and braced her, brushing her small, sweet, kissable mouth with his. Light at first, but not for long. She responded to it hungrily, her cold, wet body pressing in against him as she tried to drown them both.

The same falling sensation that always happened when he kissed her overwhelmed him now, sweeping and strong, eliminating everything else until only the two of them existed in a void of nothingness. No — not nothingness. The Force was there too, humming and strong and bright, a great cosmic tapestry stretching in every direction, with them at the epicenter.

When she finally pulled back, dropping down to her heels again, she looked at him in a way she never had before. Her eyes smoldered like two fresh embers. Vulnerable, afraid, but full of trust and heat and invitation. She asked a question with those eyes. A message, more clearly conveyed than any words, or even shared thoughts.

Ben's insides lurched.

"Rey?" he whispered.

She took his hand and guided it to her face, pressing a kiss into his palm. While still fixing him with that look of fire, she moved that hand lower, to her collar, guiding his fingertips beneath the damp hem clinging to her feverish skin.

Ben shuddered. "Rey," he said again, feeling stupidly unable to conjure other words, burning alive as he was. "Are you —"

She nodded, leaning in to his hesitating, cautious touch and demonstrating her answer with an inviting kiss.

"I want this," she breathed. "I think I'm ready."

Her mood — the pent up energy demanding to be released. Ben thought she was sensing things on the horizon of the Force. He didn't imagine — didn't dream — that it came from her own emotions, her own body, emitting a powerful radius of chaotic need. His mind began to race as quickly as his heart. He knew he needed to keep something important about all this in mind, some warning he ought to cling to, but he couldn't remember it just now. His couldn't think about anything except what she was asking.

Now? Here?

Holding her to him protectively, he glanced around the hollow tree. The fungus. The dirt. The creeping, crawling city of spiders and insects living in this protected space of damp air. He cringed.

"Not here."

Her fingers threaded into his shirt. "Why not? Isn't this the most fitting place?"

Despite her confidence, and her fiery eyes translating her fiery need, she still trembled a little. And that was a big reason why. Ben shook his head, lowered his voice, and said again, "No. Not here."

Whatever emotional significance they ascribed to the tree, Ben had been waiting for this day for a long, long time and he wanted it to be right. To be perfect. And this tree was so far from perfect. So he scooped her up in his arms in one swift, easy movement, lifting her like he had done the very first time he met her. He strode out into the rain, warding off any drop that might dare to touch them and cool their catching flames.

"Ben," she half-laughed, half-complained.

She didn't ask where they were going, and he didn't feel her poking around his mind trying to find the answer either. She was just going with it. And he loved her for that.

Beside the _Silencer_ waited the Falcon, a monument of metal in the downpour. Ben carried her to it, wishing he had a better option. The Falcon wasn't ideal, and he really didn't want to think about what other conquests might have been had there by its previous two owners. But without flying away and potentially losing this moment, he didn't know where else to go. The village was out of the question. At least out here, they could be alone and undisturbed.

A sharp pain zipped from his gut to his throat at the thought of what they wanted to do.

Inside the Falcon, he finally set her down again.

"You're cold."

"You were warm," she grumbled, shivering.

"Go use the refresher to dry off. Give me a minute."

She bestowed him a curious look, but otherwise didn't protest. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and still full of wanting. Ben couldn't help himself, and perhaps to steel his nerves or remind him of what was to come, he pulled her in for another kiss before letting her go. This one was deeper and full of promise.

When she'd gone, Ben went to the shabby captain's cabin to see what he could do to make it any nicer. As he tried to tidy up, he begrudged his father for letting the ship fall into disrepair. The place was probably nice, once, but like everything Han Solo got hold of, it had pretty much fallen apart.

Still, he did what he could. It helped take the edge of his sharp, piercing nerves.

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

Rey washed the mud and rain out of her hair, and more meticulously cleaned her body than she ever had before. Her stomach felt like it was full of ice. When the overwhelming certainty of what she wanted crashed over her in that tree, she'd expected and intended to surrender right there. She thought Ben would have wasted no time getting right down to business. But he surprised her.

He always surprised her.

This was probably better, she knew, but the weird little interim gave her far too much time to think about what she was asking. It gave her time to become very, very nervous.

Her insides rolled uncomfortably and she backed against the wall of the refresher, tipping her face into the steam, trying not to overthink. The restlessness returned, itching beneath her skin, no longer tamed by certainty. She slid against the wall, crouching down on the floor of the refresher, drawing her knees up and burying her face in them. She pressed her hands against her eyes, trying to get a grip. Failing, failing. She shouldn't be this afraid. Her regard for Ben had deepened into a love so intense, so profound, she wanted every part of him. And she trusted him. This was Ben. He wouldn't hurt her. She wasn't backing down. She wanted this. He wanted this. It was the final threshold they'd yet to cross. She couldn't change her mind now. That wasn't fair to him, that wasn't what she really wanted either.

A wave of nausea churned within her.

After a few more minutes letting the water warm her, she stood and switched it to the drying setting. A terrible realization slowly dawned on her as she anticipated the next few steps. The only clothes she'd brought in to the refresher room with her were the soaked ones she'd been wearing. She had nothing clean and dry to change into. Maybe that shouldn't have been a big deal, considering what was supposed to come shortly, but the thought of waltzing out naked was too unbearable to think about. It sliced all her nervous feelings into a thousand jagged shards, and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe.

But when she opened the door and stepped out, she found the tank top and cropped leggings she usually wore to bed folded neatly on the shelf in the refresher room. It definitely hadn't been there before she got in.

A little lump formed in her throat. His thoughtfulness still surprised her, even now that she knew how deep the river of his compassion could run. No one had ever taken care of her before. Not like this. Not at all. Finn, briefly, had risked himself for her sake, but this wasn't some grand heroic gesture. This was small, simple evidence that Ben guarded a measure of tenderness for her which no one else ever had.

She put the things on quickly. The rasp of fabric against her skin was comforting. This little gesture reminded her that he cared about her needs, and if she called this whole thing off now, he wouldn't begrudge her for it. He'd understand. Still, she opened the door and slipped out into the corridor, rallying her courage. Ben met her in the hallway — so abruptly she nearly crashed into him, but his hands leapt out and steadied her before they could collide.

"Whoa," she laughed, her voice higher and more nervous than it should have been. "Sorry."

"You were quicker than I anticipated," he said. "I meant to meet you at the door."

"Nearly made it." She mustered up a smile, even though her heart felt like it was in her throat now.

His fingers, light and cautious, brushed her clean, dry hair behind one ear. Taking one of her hands, he turned and led her back to the captain's cabin.

Rey knew the place very well, but she didn't recognize it like this. The piles of scrap and spare parts were gone, the clutter on every surface had been straightened, and the bed was more crisply made than she had ever managed herself. Most of the time, she didn't bother. Her hammock on Jakku hadn't done much by way of teaching her how to maintain bed linens. He had somehow coaxed them into sharp, precise lines and a smooth, unwrinkled surface.

"Ben," she gasped, impressed.

He made a soft noise of dissatisfaction. "It isn't what I imagined."

Rey hadn't really dared imagine it at all, so she couldn't relate to his disappointment. But looking at it all now, especially that bed, the nausea from the refresher returned. She shivered, pulling her arms in tight against her, as if she could hold herself together.

Ben turned to her, observing the tension coiled in her. He gently reached and drew her to him. She went willingly, burying her face in him to hide what misgiving he might read there. His arms wrapped around her, comforting, and innocent, exactly what she needed.

"Are you alright?" The question rumbled against her.

She nodded, but couldn't summon a verbal confirmation. She no longer knew what she was. Afraid. Nervous. Painfully shy. Panicking, just a little.

"Me too," he whispered. Then, suddenly, he pulled away and held her at arms' lengths, gazing down at her with a concerned expression. "Rey, we don't have to—"

But she didn't want that. She didn't want him to give her an out. All the jumbled feelings she'd been fighting all morning had clicked into place when she made her decision in that tree, and she'd known it was time. Even if she was having second thoughts now, she had known then. So she wrenched out of his hands and threw herself at him, pulling herself up for a fierce kiss, silencing him and swallowing the rest of what she was about to say.

He made a low sound somewhere in his chest, and she didn't know if it was protest or pleasure, but soon his hands pushed beneath her tank top and swept along her back. She'd braced herself for his touches, and they came, like fire on her skin. His fingertips glided over the smooth plane of her back, leaving arousal in their wake. Her heart began to accelerate and her breathing changed. Ben went slowly, mindful of how prone we was to becoming overwhelmed. But Rey was prepared to ignore her protective instincts and lose herself in him. Because…because she wanted to…didn't she?

* * *

 **Ben**

* * *

But _stars_ what a drug she was. How thoroughly she ruled him. And how badly he wanted this.

Yet even now, with her melting into his touch, the taste of her on his tongue, he couldn't stop feeling her fear. It ran quietly behind everything, behind her quickly heating passions, behind her love, her trust, her want. And not just hers, but his too. It ran through him, filling his mind with doubt and the unendurable vulnerability that this would expose. He tried to ignore it — kriff, that was almost too easy to do — and just let himself fall over this edge he'd been hungry to explore for so long. He tried to lose himself as thoroughly as he had that night on Canto Bight.

Gently, he pushed her backwards towards the freshly made bed. She tensed up momentarily when the back of her knees bumped into it, and that undercurrent of fear flashed bright for one microsecond. Then she sank down, pulling him with her. Ben tried to turn his mind off. He tried not to think about how much easier it had been on Jakku, and on Canto Bight. How naturally they had drifted towards intimacy. It didn't feel like that now. Now it felt like they were dragging each other there, heady and desperate, their steps deliberate. It distracted him. Kept him too much in his head, and not enough in the bliss of her flavor overwhelming him.

He switched tactics, turning his ministrations to her throat and collar, the way she liked. He let his hands wander, let her peel his shirt off. She made all the right sounds, the ones he'd wanted to hear, and let her own hands travel over every part of his chest. But that fear. It remained in her. It remained in him. It poisoned an otherwise sweet stream. Being with her now was so much harder than ever before. It didn't make sense, because this time he wasn't trying to hold himself back.

No — no. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. It should have been easy once it began, like kissing her for the first time had been. This wasn't anything like that.

He broke away from her, rolling onto his back on the bed beside her, sliding his hands over his face in self-loathing.

"Rey," he groaned.

She was breathing heavily, but there was a raggedness to it that didn't sound entirely passionate. It sounded almost…emotional. She didn't ask why she'd stopped, and that alone said enough.

"I don't think we should do this." He floundered, trying to find what he really wanted to say.

She turned onto her stomach, pressing her face into the mattress, hiding again. "I don't think so either," she said, words muffled.

Even though he'd felt it, churning in her as it churned in him, it was an enormous relief to hear her say it too. He wasn't the only one tied up in unmanageable emotional knots.

"I want to," he said, miserable in his cowardice. Emasculated in his failure. Reviling his own gnarled up soul for the millionth time.

"Me too," she mumbled.

But he still wasn't ready, and despite what she'd said in the tree, she wasn't either. It still wasn't right. A piece out of place. Some component was still misaligned, and because of it their hyperdrive wouldn't start.

She chuckled into the bed, and he realized with a flush of chagrin that she'd read his corny metaphor. Sitting up, he reoriented himself on the bed so he was lying the right way this time, and then gently tugged her hand until she got the hint and came out of her hiding. Her face was as red as he expected. Still, she came willingly when he pulled her into his arms, tucking her into him the way they usually slept on the _Catalyst_. She let go of the breath trapped in her chest and settled in against him, her lithe climber's body finally, _finally_ relaxing.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few minutes of uncertain silence between them.

"For what?"

"I thought…I thought I could handle it."

"We already had this conversation. On Jakku." He wasn't going to let her take the blame for their failure. She could feel his own reluctance just as clearly as he could feel hers. This…thing…that they wanted meant a kind of promise and commitment that wasn't on the same level of what they had already given. It was something else entirely. And though the last year had worked genuine miracles inside his soul, he still had too much baggage weighing him down to make that step with her. She did too.

They didn't say anything more after that for a long time, listening to the rain beat against the hull of the ship in a soothing cadence. When she shivered, he drew the blanket up over them both. Ben withdrew his mind from hers, walling up, closing off. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it — that it would make her nervous and self-conscious. But he just needed some time to be alone with himself and think about what he needed to get over this seemingly enormous hurdle. Remembering the strange Force vision on Ryloth, he felt a little glad they'd not gone through with it. Perhaps that version of the future had been thwarted. Perhaps circumvented. Perhaps there was another way.

Rey's breathing changed, and he realized she'd drifted into a doze against him. He absently swirled his fingers along her arm, tracing patterns as his mind tracked its own wandering trail. Deep within him, there was a little mental box hidden away, containing an idea that had sprung up after their almost-night on Cantonica. He'd locked it and buried it then, and not dared let himself look at it since. But he felt it now, calling him, promising the answers he sought. He knew the solution it contained, and, steeling himself, he unlocked the box to examine it.

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep until she found herself waking up. The poor, sleepless nights away from him, the early morning, the drumming of the rain, and the rightness of being restored to Ben's arms all formed the perfect combination for a surprisingly quick descent into oblivion. She hadn't thought it possible, based on the horrible, confused, deflated-yet-relieved storm raging in her embarrassed soul after Ben stopped them.

Now she stirred, nestling her face into the pillow beneath her head, blinking sluggishly. She must have rolled away from Ben at some point, meaning she'd slept much harder than she initially thought. Now she turned her head towards him. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His face was a blank slate. She dimly remembered his psychic withdrawal before she'd fallen asleep, how he'd closed himself off from her as best he could. While initially uncertain if the action had to do with her and the fierce battle of dread versus desire she'd endured, she hadn't had time to think about it very long before she gave in to her exhaustion.

"How long did I sleep?" she asked softly.

He turned his head, his dark, gentle eyes meeting hers. He immediately scooted towards her, sliding his arm beneath her head and pulling her back in where she belonged. She nestled into the place where his shoulder met his chest.

"A few hours," he said.

A few hours! Had he been here all this time? But no — no, he had his shirt on again. That meant he'd gotten up at some point. She remembered tugging it off him in her attempted frenzy. She knew she ought to be worried about missing the feast, but she felt too much at peace here, alone with him, to feel any great desire to go back to the others right now.

Ben didn't say anything. He carded through her hair, affectionate, distracted. His mind remained preoccupied. Rey felt it churning with shadows and thoughts he kept concealed from her. His mood was peaceful, though, so she didn't think he was stewing over anything bad. She wondered if she ought to address the hapabore in the room and try to make sense out of what happened earlier, but she didn't. He seemed alright, and her own emotions were finally settled into something steady. No need to stir it all up again.

But the silence stretched on, and Ben remained inaccessible, so after a minute she asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Another minute of the silence. And then, "Your name."

She lifted her head to get a better look at him, surprised. "My name?"

"Did you name yourself, or did your parents give it to you?"

"What? Why are you wondering about that?"

He put his free hand behind his head, his fingers tapping a senseless, absent rhythm against her arm. "I was thinking about your rebellion helmet on Jakku. It had the name Rhae."

She quickly returned her head to where it had been before, grateful he couldn't see the flush of her cheeks. "That's probably where I got it. I don't remember. I was really young."

Of course she'd named herself. She got tired of only being _Girl_ to the other denizens of Niima. She got tired of calling herself that in her head, too. Some of them accepted her new name, but some, like Plutt, never did. But the whole thing was a little humiliating — what child had to name themselves, because they didn't remember if they had a name before? And anyway, Ben could seek all that out in her mind if he wanted, so she still didn't understand what this was about.

"Why is that on your mind?"

His reply rolled through his chest beneath her like deep thunder. "You only have the one. No family name."

"Right. That tends to happen when you don't actually have a family." He knew that. He'd known it from the first time he'd breached her mind, and again when he saw the truth about her parents. So this preoccupation still baffled her. Still, she instinctively fled from too much talk about her parents, so she dropped a kiss onto his collar, hoping to distract him away from it.

It didn't work. He had returned to her hair, running his fingers through it, lightly working out the tangles. He still stared up at the ceiling, still stayed anchored deep within his own thoughts. After another moment of silence, he said, "Would you like one?"

"One what?"

"A family name."

A little laugh escaped her, incredulous and surprised. "Oh! It's that simple? Where do I get one? Do I just declare it?" She laughed again and added, "I don't even know what would be a good name."

"Solo is a good one," he replied.

She tapped on his chest. "A great one, yeah, but it's taken."

"You can have it." He paused. Beneath her head, his heart had tripped into a faster cadence. "I'll give it to you."

She blinked, brows drawing together, gaze darting around in confusion. After a moment she shifted, rolling partway onto him, propping herself up on his chest to give him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

A brief smile flitted over his full lips. "How can you not know? Do they not have marriage on Jakku?"

"Marriage?" Her eyes widened and she sat up fully now, staring at him, baffled. "No?"

"It's an old tradition, I admit. The name thing." He picked up one of her hands, toying with her fingers in idle thoughtfulness. "Most of the galaxy doesn't practice it anymore. I don't think anyone in my family ever has. My grandmother didn't take the Skywalker name. My mother didn't take my father's name. Hardly anyone does, though there are always outliers. But you don't have one to keep, so it seems to make sense. If you want it, that is."

She shook her head. "Ben, are you…?"

His eyes met hers, soft and warm and aglow with deep affection, enough to make her stomach flutter and tingles run over her skin. His low voice delivered a short, but astonishing reply. "Yes."

" _Marry_ you?" The words choked on the way out, but she had to say them. Had to be sure that they were talking about the same thing. This was no time for miscommunication.

She knew, in that vague but growing understanding about the galaxy, that people _did_ marry. The practice was found among many species, though humans were unequivocally the most enthusiastic about it. But Rey had no experience to lean on here. No one she'd ever known on Jakku had gotten married. From the occasional visitors, she'd come to learn that marriage existed and couples would voluntarily enter into it, electing to make their mysterious relationship exclusive and official. Yet it had always been just one of those alien concepts of offworlders for her, without relevance to her daily survival. She'd never thought about it for herself. Not once.

But now…?

She struggled to wrap her mind around the idea. If that's really what he was asking.

"Yes," he said, sitting up now beneath her. "Rey. Marry me."

"Why?" The question flew out of her before she could stop it. She blushed.

But it didn't offend him. His mouth quirked into a grin. "Why not?"

"Does this have anything to do with what happened earlier?" She cast about for a reason this should come up, and the only thing she could latch onto was their failure to consummate their bond in that physical way.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze drifting. "I've been thinking about it for a while. Long before today. But yes, what happened earlier helped me make up my mind. I believe it's what we — or, at least, what I need — before I can walk through that door with you. It's a…" he paused, struggling to find the right words. "It's the assurance that eases the pain of being so vulnerable. It's the promise that assures us we aren't making a mistake."

She could understand that. At least, she could understand needing to find something to bridge the gap between where they were now and where they wanted to be. But _kriff_ , it was such a huge ask. Her mind spun dizzily. "Is it some Vader thing?"

A soft, smokey chuckle rumbled from his cavernous chest. "No. It isn't. Maybe it's a Leia thing. They raised me with the tradition that when you find the person you want to be with forever, you marry them."

"That didn't work out very well for them." Again, she spoke without thinking, and again flinched in horror from her lack of filter. This surprise had stripped her of all ability to govern her mouth.

But once more, Ben let this potentially offensive remark roll harmlessly off him. "Perhaps. Depends on your point of view. I think _I_ was the main source of conflict between them. Either way, they remained exclusively in love until the end. Rey, let me give you a name. A family. A place in this galaxy."

Once, when she didn't know him so well, Rey might have taken offense at his implication that she had no place in the galaxy without his last name. But now she knew him better, and it comforted her to know that he was fumbling over his words too. She knew he hadn't meant it to sound like that.

He hurried to cover it up anyway. "My mother already considers you one of us. Let the galaxy know it too."

Why was her heart beating _so_ hard? Why did she feel simultaneous longing, happiness, and panic? What he offered was exactly what she'd hungered for her entire life. What she'd gone seeking in that cave on Ahch-To. What she'd been devastated not to have, in the end. She wanted this. She wanted _him_.

"But, doesn't marriage traditionally lead to…" again she felt heat furiously pool in her cheeks. She cut off that sentence and tried another. "The family you want to give me isn't…"

"Children?" Finally, something she'd said provoked a frown. It was a strange frown, though, and she thought his whole expression had become suddenly rather peculiar. He gave a slight shake of his head. "You already know my feelings about perpetuating the Skywalker line. I intend to be the last — unless you agree, then together we will be the last."

A breathless little laugh escaped her. She didn't know what else to say. Her arguments had run out, and now all that was left was her answer, stretching on forever, incomprehensible.

Ben pulled her to him and pressed his forehead against hers. "Rey. It took a galaxy at war for me to find you, and so much more for you to pull me out of my enslavement to the dark. I didn't believe it was possible for feel for someone the way I feel for you. I have chosen you freely, and will choose you again, every day. Forget names, forget family, forget the physical reasons — I just want you. We've already promised not to leave each other. Now, I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?"

Rey closed her eyes, threading her fingers into his hair so he couldn't back away. She focused on her breath, focused on the brightly humming bond between them, tangling their two souls together. Hopeless Ben and his hopeless romanticism. Of course he would want the fairytale of marriage to his beloved. He was such a fool for sentimentality, in his secret, soft center. And why shouldn't she say yes? The way they were living now wouldn't change much, except that she would have a reason to be in his bed besides just craving his company. And when she introduced herself, anyone and everyone would know that she belonged. That she had a tribe. A people. She wasn't some nameless nobody dug up out of the sand. And more importantly than the name (because she knew very well that the name _Solo_ would bring her as much trouble as it would respect, and maybe more) was what Ben wanted — what she wanted. Their previous promises turned into vow, the unseen communion of their intertwined minds made real under public symbolism. The decision to choose one another again and again. For the rest of their days.

"Yes," she finally whispered. "Yes, I want to marry you."

His face slowly transformed, a smile unfolding so pure and full of relief that he suddenly looked like a very young boy. But the smile wasn't enough, and with a choked little laugh, he found her lips, kissing her with all the adoration of his overflowing soul. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his fervor, basking in the strange, surreal, somehow blissful knowledge of what she'd just agreed to. That she was going to belong to someone, and someone to her, for the first time in her life.

His lips trailed down her neck, to her collar, back to her lips — everywhere he could easily gain access. She laughed and sighed and melted into his worshipping touch. It was so, so much easier than before. When he pushed her over onto the welcoming mattress, she knew she could give in to her blazing desires easily this time. Without any of the fear of earlier. They slipped to the edge of it so naturally now, carried along on the waves of their mutual joy.

But Ben didn't let them fall. He pulled them away from it deftly, as easily as he pushed them to it. Rey almost begrudged him for it. She would have been happy to have this be their moment. But he had better plans for that now, and nothing could spoil the joy of this decision. He held her against him, as if shielding her from all the world.

"I love you," he murmured, voice thick with emotion.

She played her fingers through his hair, marveling. "And I love you, Ben Solo."

"I never thought to have a wife."

"Oh, stars, don't say that." She buried her face into him. "I don't know how to feel about that word. And anyway, where do we go from here? We run off to some clergy and get it done?"

He chuckled again. It was such a rare sound for him, she was transported by it every time. "That would be the quickest way. But we don't need to rush. And we don't need to hide it. We aren't Jedi, or Sith, or anything that prohibits this decision."

"You want to tell your mother," she realized. In all his rapture, he forgot to maintain his mental blockade and all his thoughts came spilling into hers. She saw that the vision from Ryloth lurked in the back of his mind constantly, though she couldn't make out what about it bothered him.

Ben rumbled in confirmation. "I want to do this right. No shortcuts. No secrets. An honest beginning. I don't know what the Force intends for us — no, don't say anything about that vision. We don't know what that meant or if it must be. The future is liquid and changeable. Regardless, it seems important to launch ours from a place of transparency."

She smiled. "Honesty, however brutal, has always been one of your strengths."

"Speaking of doing it right — we have skipped a traditional part of this conversation," he said, reaching over to the bedside table. He produced a small object, holding it out to her. It was a thin metal ring. She took it and examined it closely. "It this the O-ring to a motivator valve?"

He smiled and huffed a soft laugh. "Yes. I took it from the _Silencer_ while you were asleep."

"It has a motivator? I would have thought it too new for such old tech. Does the Interceptor motivator share enough redundancy to be a good replacement?"

"Rey," he took the valve ring from her again and grabbed her left hand. "Come back. You're getting away from the point. What I'm trying to tell you is that married people wear rings of promise on this finger."

She watched as he slid it onto her second-to-last digit. "They do?"

"Yes. Usually they're something fancier than this, but I thought this suited you better."

Rey held out her hand, studying the thin, flat silver band curving over her skin. It struck her as both a little funny — she'd never imagined wearing a piece of a ship as a symbol of love — and deeply touching. More evidence of his shameless sentimentality. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Should I find one for you?"

"If you like, though I think we might have more in the Interceptor scraps."

"Good point." She liked the idea of that quite a lot, even if the whole concept still baffled her.

"For now, though, we should go back to the feast."

Here, she winced. "Can't this last just a little longer?"

"You'll be disappointed with yourself later if you miss it." He began to extract himself from her, shifting to the edge of the bed where he stood and recomposed himself. "And you are far too alluring. If I linger with you here, we may not return to the others for several days."

"Doesn't sound so bad to me," she said, following him upright.

"Your other clothes are dry now. Put them on so they don't get suspicious."

"They're already suspicious."

He smirked and caught her before he could stalk past him to find the clothes. Bracing the back of her head, he kissed her deeply one more time. The Force moved in powerful swells around them, responding to the surging energy of their love. At last, after all that had transpired to bring them together, the cosmic currents had been heard and satisfied.

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

:D :D :D

Suuuuper long chapter, but it needed to happen all at once, without being split. This scene has been in my mind since the early chapters of DFN, and I didn't want to interrupt the flow for a scene break.

Anyway. Are you pleased? Is it too corny?

Coming up, way, way, way more corn. And by that I mean cheese. And by that I mean a massively indulgent, total fluff-piece that really has no business being in this story but I want to do it anyway so we're going for it.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Treesong

* * *

 **A/N:**

Oops, guys, this chapter got long, so that ultra-fluff fan-service I promised? It's actually in chapter 17, and this one is the buildup to that. Heh, sorry. But I'll put 17 up right now anyway so you don't have to wait for the hammy goodness

* * *

 **Ben Solo**

* * *

By the time they emerged from the Falcon, the rain had stopped. Heavy dark clouds still hung over the forest, oppressive with the promise of another deluge at any moment. Blue twilight crept in under the edges of these clouds, making the features of the ground more difficult to discern.

The wayward couple, cocooned in their own shroud of bliss, made their way back to the village. They went hand in hand, so thoroughly united in purpose and love that a swirl of energy accompanied their every step, and anything that could move rolled away from their invisible sphere. They didn't notice, and didn't feel it. A glow through the trees guided them, even though they knew their path well enough. Music drifted through the trees, distant but merry all the same.

Rey tipped her head, listening. "Sounds like the party has begun."

Ben nodded. For the first time since the vision on Ryloth, he didn't feel a need to keep any part of his thoughts from her. She might catch of a glimpse of what he saw, but he didn't think it meant what he initially thought anyway. That vision had unsettled him in unpleasant ways. It had shown him a future wherein many concourses of people waited on them for guidance. That part certainly merited careful and exclusive contemplation, but it was overshadowed something else. The way Rey had looked to him in that vision — something about her, and about certain faces hungering for their knowledge, sent a streak of white hot fear through him that made him pull back. He'd sent her away as quickly as he could after that, sent her for Poe and the others, deprived himself of her intoxicating presence so that he could clear his mind and decide that what he thought he saw was wrong. It hadn't worked.

Even now, the residual feelings of fear still hadn't subsided. Yet somehow, this decision to marry her eased some of the sting. It comforted him. As if whatever that vision foretold, it would be somehow better with this step first taken. And the other thing, the physical thing — that would be better too. This afternoon had proven that already. But both the vision and the promise of a more intimate acquaintance paled in comparison to the astonishing road now stretching into their future, paved by her answer.

Everything about Rey, from their very first encounter to this dizzying afternoon, had disrupted his expectations. Things never went the way he thought they should when it came to her. In the beginning, it had baffled, annoyed, and fascinated him all in equal measure. Now he was learning to be adaptable, slowly transforming his rigidity into flexibility. So he shouldn't be surprised by the unexpectedness of what he felt now. The profound happiness coursing through his veins as a drug more potent than lust or darkness ever were. Shouldn't find the reaction of his heart as unfathomable as he did. But _stars_ he hadn't expected to be this happy. Not him. Joy wasn't a word written into the story of his life, or a lyric in the song of his existence. If it ever had been, it was erased sometime in his adolescence. Others got to have things they never even dreamed of, but not him. He had to fight and demand and take what tiny justices were due him. And the Force knew he didn't deserve any ounce of happiness after the things he'd done. But somehow, miraculously, this bewildering, bewitching creature had agreed to become his wife and lit his entire world in blazing shades of wonder. He felt like he could do anything. Like all the power of the cosmos waited at his fingertips.

Rey gripped his hand tighter suddenly, perhaps following his wild, soaring thoughts or perhaps taken by something else. She tugged him back down to reality with a soft noise of admiration. "It's beautiful."

They found the village in full celebration. Lanterns hung on strings between every tree, illuminating the evening gloom with baubles of warm, glowing light. Beneath protective canopies, several long tables had been spread with a fantastic array of food. Smaller tables dotted the fringes of the scene so people could sit to eat, but some sat right on the ground, undeterred by the soggy earth. A gaggle of musicians provided raucous music for dancing, and many of the villagers took full advantage. They leapt about in euphoric fervor, dancing in a manner Ben had never seen before. Rey's stifled snicker told him she'd never seen anything like it either, but that was hardly surprising.

Among the villagers, a few stormtroopers danced a more familiar pattern. Poe and Court danced with them, laughing and riotous. Court's damned furry sidekick leapt about from shoulder to shoulder, shooed away by no one, stealing food whenever it pleased.

"Rey! Ben!" Rose called from the feast table, waving them over.

Finn was busy gorging himself when they approached. "You guys," he said between mouthfuls. "This food. It's incredible."

"And not just because we totally kicked some bug trash to help bring it here," Rose added, grinning.

Rey pressed in close to Ben's side, leaning against him as she plucked a fruit from the table. "Looks like Poe and Court are having a good time too."

"Yeah," said Rose. "That just happened. They were making fun of how the natives dance, and then all the sudden they were out there with the others."

Ben frowned. One of the many reasons he appreciated Court's presence in their little scheme was that she had nothing to do with the Resistance. It seemed now that she was getting along rather too well with all of them. Then again, she'd fallen right in with Rey. Perhaps they were her kind of people after all.

Still, his mood was too good right now to harbor much room for annoyance. And as soon as Court spotted them, she abandoned Poe and the troopers anyway, trotting over to them. Her eyes were bright and her words breathless.

"Look who finally showed up! You know, you wouldn't have to spend all day working on that wreck if you asked for some help once in a while. Some of us actually know a thing or two about how ships are supposed to work."

Rey laughed. "I know. But it's kind of his project," she motioned in Ben's direction. "I just stand around and offer advice."

"Whoa, wait." Court's hands darted out, snatching Rey's out of the air sharply. Rey tried to yank out of her grasp, but she held it firm, staring at the motivator valve ring. Her eyes flashed to Ben with far too much knowing.

"Well, well. His ship's not the only thing getting some new hardware," she said wryly. "Come on. You can eat whenever you want tonight. Come dance with us."

She closed her hand around the incriminating ring and pulled Rey, who only made a half-hearted attempt to resist, out towards the frolicking crowd. Ben watched her go without any impulse to join them whatsoever. He glanced at Rose and Finn. They seemed to have missed much of the exchange and were squabbling harmlessly over whether or not they should go dance too. Rose wanted to, but Finn didn't. She gave up on him eventually and went off to join the others.

Finn huffed. "I don't get it at all. Why is that fun? That does not look like fun."

"No," Ben agreed. "It doesn't."

Finn gave him a sidelong glance, as if he wasn't quite sure he liked the idea of being in accord with Ben on this subject. Eventually, however, he gave a little chin thrust and asked, "You guys okay? Things seemed kind of weird when you left. Like she was looking for a fight. Is she okay?"

"Yes." Changing subjects now, Ben fixed Finn with an interested look. "Has Rose been able to access the Force again, since we were last here?"

"A couple times, yeah. She's been really grateful Rey taught her that. She wants me to ask to be taught too, but…I don't really have anyone to feel on the other side, you know? I don't really know what it would do for me."

Ben didn't offer a reply. He didn't know either. That Rey had been able to teach Rose at all was nothing short of ludicrous, and now it made him wonder about that vision again. About all those people looking for guidance. They couldn't all be Force-sensitives. The various children possibly were — like Temiri and the Twi'lek. But they'd seen many more faces besides the younglings. Perhaps they needed to establish a temple of their own. Not to train padawans, like Luke and his vile tradition, but to merely share the workings of the Force with any who sought it. Rey wanted to teach the masses, and though he still harbored deep reservations about that idea, he couldn't shake the feeling that her doing so could alter the endless cycle of tyranny and rebellion. Perhaps...

"You okay, Solo?" Finn asked, breaking into his deep rumination.

Ben glanced up and saw Veze making his way towards them. He brushed Finn's question aside and went to meet their host in his path.

"My honored guests," he said grandly. "This feast would be a little smaller and a little less joyous without your help. We are grateful."

"I owe your people my life," said Ben. "If our actions assisted your village in any way, it is only the least of my repayment."

Veze smiled and motioned for him to follow. They went towards the musicians and dancers, who parted and gave way like water around solid rocks. Veze navigated precisely to the pocket of humans among the villagers. Ben noticed, with some amusement, that Rey's attempts to mimic her friends was going about as well as his first attempt to show her how to dance. At least she seemed happy.

But Veze's approach drew her attention, and she turned towards them, abandoning the effort. When her gaze caught Ben's, it glittered with secret knowledge and delight. A coy smile barely tipped the corners of her mouth.

"My dear, may I request your presence for a moment?" Veze asked her with a slight bow.

"Of course," said Rey. She gave her friends a distracted wave and fell in beside Ben as they followed the leader out of the crowd again.

Veze led them towards the makeshift platform on which the musicians played. Rey's mind swirled with bright energy and brighter curiosity, the Force around her vibrant with her happiness and light. It washed over Ben, filling up his shadowy corners, burning away anything but thoughts of her, and him, and the secret of what this day had brought them.

But while he was basking in this, indulging the constantly dramatic passions that swept through him when he thought about his feelings for this girl, he realized that they'd ascended the platform and now stood before the party, all eyes upon them. He immediately engaged his default demeanor when thrust into unexpected public appearance. Stiff. Formal. Stern-faced and silent. Rey fidgeted uncomfortably next to him. She did not have a default for situations like this.

Veze began to address the crowd, and his normally soft, subdued voice boomed with unexpected volume. He spoke each sentence first in his language, and then in common for the benefit of the humans.

"My friends, my family. On this night, we celebrate the fruits of our labor. We give thanks for a bountiful harvest. We have worked the land with our own hands, and it has delivered us its gifts. We also give thanks for our new friends. Can you remember, not yet a year ago, when first we met them? The shock of seeing a human for the first time in generations? And one of them dying, at that. That was when we saw too the first manifestation of a servant of the Force in generations. We saw that they were strong with the Force, we knew a blessing had come upon us. Today, we see the fruits of that labor too. Though they could not abide with us that first visit, they have since return again and again to honor us. Tonight, we honor them."

Someone came forward and handed him two wooden cups. Within sloshed a clear amber liquid. He took the cups and held them high for everyone to see.

"This is the sap of the trees which shelter us and bring life to our village. It is the blood of this people, the life essence of this world. A sacred communion for this most sacred night of the year. We invite our guests to share with us this experience, as the blessings of the Force and the forest are meant for all. Drink, my friends, and be one of us."

He turned and pushed the cups into their hands, first Ben's, and then Rey's. They glanced at one another, then down into the cups. The thick liquid smelled strong, but not fermented. Ben swilled it uncertainly. He did not consume unknown substances. He reviled anything that came between him and the Force, and so many mind-altering drinks did exactly that. Beside him, Rey shrugged and pressed the cup to her lips, swallowing whatever it was in steady gulps.

Ben followed her example. The eyes of the entire village, and the humans, were upon them, but he'd never really been one for peer pressure. Mostly he did it because he was a little curious as well as vaguely motivated to avoid offending Veze, the one who had saved him when he had no reason to do so.

The sap was earthy and thick and a little smokey, but with soft after-tones of sweetness that left a pleasant feeling on his tongue. After some initial difficulty swallowing, he decided it wasn't bad. He didn't mind finishing the cup.

Veze smiled and addressed the crowd again. "Bring cups for all our human friends, and let our celebration truly begin."

A cacophony of celebratory sounds erupted from the throng and the music started up again, louder this time and employing a more urgent pace.

"Whoa," Rey murmured beneath noise, grabbing Ben's arm. "Do you feel that?"

He did. The scene around them had altered slightly the moment the sap burned through his lungs. He still saw it all with his own eyes, but he had the peculiar sensation that he was also seeing it from high above, and from every direction. He felt ancient. As old as the galaxy itself. Strong and sturdy, like part of himself ran deep — his consciousness, maybe. A different sort music played now, beneath every other sound, not made by the musicians and their instruments. It was low and ethereal, like the boom of some primeval drum.

"The trees," he said to Rey, meeting her eyes and seeing in their grey-brown depths those flecks of green that looked to him now like staring through the branches above them to glimpse a cloudy twilight sky.

Her hand on him relaxed, falling away as an astonished smile bloomed over her face. "We can feel the trees?"

Not just the trees, but the whole planet seemed to weave its roots into the great tapestry of the Force. Where once they could feel energy radiating from all living things, but only find the minds of sentient thought, now the complex consciousness of all the flora threaded through them, as alive as any creature. Their motives unraveled, no longer riddles but honest goals. Simple yearnings, like expanding into new territory to give homes to their offspring and wanting to sleep deep during winter. Competing for sunlight, but comfortable in the abundance of cold rainwater pooled against their roots and dappling their leaves. Pure, untroubled, gifted with long, sleepy memory.

"I don't think the others will be able to," Ben mused, watching as Poe and Finn eagerly threw the cups handed to them by joyful villagers. "But yes. It seems you and I can feel the trees."

Veze excused himself as a group of villagers came for him and left the two humans alone on the platform. Rey hopped down first, her movements steady and sure and precise as ever — a good sign that the drink would not have an intoxicating effect, despite the heightened Force senses. Ben followed suit, and the two of them wove their way through the crowd to find their companions.

Partaking of sap was, they learned, a tradition limited to the harvest feast only, but during the feast, there was no limit to how much one could indulge. Ben initially moderated his own consumption while the others drank cup after cup, but when nothing seemed to change about his behavior or the others, he allowed himself to relax and have more. It was easy to forget how slowly the liquid descended when it tasted so pleasant. They ate from the feast and visited a few of the most artistic villagers selling their creations at the party. A few of them went to dance again.

As the night wore on, however, the drink began to have more noticeable effects. His thoughts became a muddled contradiction of hazy and painfully sharp, as if he couldn't stop noticing everything, but could focus on little. Among the others, emotions began to stir more easily. They weren't drunk, he didn't think. Court, who had more experience with that than any of them, laughed whenever someone asked and assured them that no, whatever this drink was, it did not contain alcohol. But the sap had _something_ , because little by little a kind of mood began to seize them all. Passions stirred and everything else seemed to matter less and less.

And all the while Ben and Rey, caught up in the same strange feeling, could not forget the trees, keeping watch over the party like protective sentinels, affectionate and proud and strong. The earth groaned with infrasound, and the trees answered, and the music of the deep was a hypnotic "all's well, all's well."

Ben found himself frequently distracted by the light catching on Rey's ring, so meaningless in its actual purpose, so profoundly meaningful in the new. The ring _he_ had given her. The one she had accepted. Him — when she could have had anyone. When she could have had that annoyingly cocky flyboy, shining hero devoid of complicated moody tangles. It was so baffling that her puzzle piece should fit with his own. That he was her other half, and she his, when they were so different and so much the same.

He couldn't stop thinking about her the longer the night went on. The music became more fevered, and the dancing with it. Everything seemed to be careening towards some urgent conclusion. His own pulse quickened, the feeling that something was about to happen overwhelming him. He turned, and turned again, watching as villagers began pairing off, unaware of anything but their partners. One by one, the pairs wandered off into the woods. Those who didn't have a partner kept dancing, or eating, until a strange far-off expression came over them and they sat or laid down right where they were before losing consciousness.

"Rey," he tried to say, tried to warn. She was busy talking to two of the troopers, their speech way too fast, their subjects ranging all over the galaxy with little cohesion. He grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

She turned, seized him with her unlikely strength, and dragged him towards the dancers. He stood their awkwardly, trying to remember what it was he needed to tell her, but suddenly utterly apathetic to anything that wasn't her. Rey. This girl who had gashed open his face and his heart. He remembered everything, from the moment he first heard mention of her, to his first unimpressed assessment of her in the woods of Takodana. She seemed to him then to be too young, too scrawny and malnourished, too scared to be much of a threat. Yet even then, he'd sensed something about her that made him, irrationally, abandon the pursuit of BB-8. Even then she stirred his numb, despondent soul with some faint sense of recognition. All of Cout's colorful, undignified swear words felt inadequate to vent the agonizing, unbearable, delicious emotions rising up within him whenever Rey brushed against him, or met his glance.

That happened more and more frequently now, as she too began to lose track of anything that wasn't him. Dimly, he became aware of some of the stormtroopers slumped unconsciously over their plates, and Finn and Rose giggling as they vanished into the woods. Court and Poe sat against the base of the musicians platforms, making up words to the wild songs.

But none of that mattered.

The trees and the earth hummed their deep, hypnotic song and the Force undulated in lazy, coaxing waves. Rey took his hands and pulled him away, towards the woods. He went, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that they were being drawn by external forces and not by their own ideas, but it hardly seemed to matter. He couldn't resist either the croon of the earthsong or the feeling of her hands in his.

He didn't really know if they'd gotten far enough away or not — the music of the feast still echoed rather loudly around them — but suddenly neither could hold back. He clasped her head between his hands, descending to her mouth like a disciple before the alter. She practically climbed his body, all arms and legs and a tangle of hair. A fever raged beneath her skin, and his. The ring scratched him as she slid her fingers roughly up the back of his skull. It didn't matter anymore if they were too close to the party or not — it didn't matter if anyone saw them. They found each other, attacking their love in violent fashion, their kisses leaving bruises in their heedless fervor.

Their heat was a freight train, barreling full speed towards a wall. Nothing could stop the inevitable wreckage.

Nothing, except the world falling out beneath them.

They'd somehow ended up in the grass. Ben crouched over her like a Pamarthen lion on its prey. They still hungrily indulged the demands of the drink and the song and the night, but a peculiar sensation began to trickle over him. Cold, spreading down from the top of his head. As if icy water slipped in beads from his crown to his shoulders, and down his back. Was it raining again? He lifted his head to look around, but could see nothing. The forest had become a fuzzy blur around him.

He looked down at Rey, and her wide, uncomprehending eyes stared back at him in alarm. He blinked vacantly. The earth beneath him felt as if it had lurched up and they were now at a steep angle. Rey's face began to blur. She gasped and grabbed him, fingernails digging in to his shoulders as the ground beneath them vanished and suddenly—

There was nothing.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N**

* * *

Ahhhhhh I am SO sorry! I meant to post this one directly after 16, but I forgot Smallish Spawn had an appointment in the morning and after that the day got away from me. But here it is tonight!

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Fever Dream

* * *

 **Rey**

* * *

Ben was gone. The village was gone. The music and smells and press of humid atmosphere — all of it, just gone. Rey was a speck of dust in an infinite cosmos, alone and undefined.

Her mind was just as empty. Nothing around her, nothing within her. A void of existence.

Eventually, however, she began to hear a familiar sound. A lonely whistle. The hiss of grains of sand slicing against metal in an abrasive wind. She smelled it too. The dust and the sand. Felt the heat of the sun on her skin, baking, fierce. Embodied again, she blinked and tried to open her eyes, but she wasn't sure they weren't already open. White, or maybe blue, stretched limitless in all directions. A world without edges, without depths, without definition. But the sand was somehow everywhere too, gritty on her arms, dry in her eyes, capturing the heat. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it.

"You're late," a familiar voice grumbled.

She whirled around, searching for the source.

Suddenly she couldn't remember the infinite white expanse. Suddenly, she saw him.

Luke.

Disheveled and overgrown and dour, exactly as she'd last seen him on Ahch-To. But then, this _was_ Ahch-To, she realized. It took shape around her, solid and real, complete with the cry of porgs and salty sea spray coating the rocks at the base of the island. She even heard the muttering of the caretakers working somewhere below. No sand at all. No wind, except the warm ocean breeze snapping at her clothes. consciousness curled in her gut.

Luke stared at her, blue eyes widening expectantly. "Well?"

"L-late?" She shook her head, saw she was sitting, and slowly got to her feet. How had she gotten here? Or — had she always been here? She had. She remembered. Something about Chewie…and…and Leia…

"Yes. _Late_. Come on." He turned and began to ascend the stone steps winding their way up to the saddle where she'd first met him.

She scrambled after. Her muscles pulled in the right way. Her heart responded to the rapid ascension with correct acceleration. So why did she have this disoriented feeling that her body wasn't quite right, and that this wasn't where she was a moment ago? That she shouldn't be here. And why did she feel like Luke shouldn't be here either?

Because — because wasn't he dead?

She stopped in her tracks.

Luke ascended a few more steps before he realized and turned, infinitely exasperated. "What now?"

Just as surly and temperamental as she remembered. She blinked at him, brow furrowing. "Am I dead?"

Somewhere beneath that unkempt beard, his mouth twitched. "Do you feel dead?"

"I don't know what that feels like. But — you are, aren't you?"

"From a certain point of view."

She looked around, at the sharply defined blades of grass poking through the rocky terrain. The porg droppings spattered in white relief against some of the larger boulders. It was all so real. Like she'd never left. But she had left, hadn't she? "Am I really here? Are you?"

"Yes, you are. And no you're not. Same with me. It depends on what you mean by _here_."

Rey sat on the next step up, too bewildered to do anything else. She tried to remember what she was doing right before Luke showed up. "I…" she squinted, wringing out her brain for the faintest trace of memory. "I think I took something I shouldn't have."

Luke sighed. "So you've become a thief now? Nice use of your talents."

"No, not like that. I mean... I ate — or maybe drank — something I shouldn't have."

"Oh. That's great. I knew he'd be a bad influence. I told you to stay away from him."

"No, that's not true — last time we spoke you said our destinies were—" she jumped to her feet, whirling to face him, eyes widening suddenly. "Ben!"

Luke sighed and glanced impatiently up at the peak towering above them. "What about him?"

"Where is he? I was with him. We were…what we doing? We were…" A rush of endorphins echoed distantly through her veins, buzzy and heady, bringing with it a muddled memory and flush of heat to her cheeks. She decided not to tell Luke what she'd been doing with his nephew before she somehow ended up here.

Perhaps Luke knew anyway, because his mouth drew a thin line through his beard disapprovingly. "Come on. Stop dawdling."

He started to climb again, and she hurried to keep up. The fingers of her left hand rasped against one another, searching for that foreign feeling of an O-ring between them. She found it, and her heart leapt into a nervous flurry. So whatever this was, everything that had happened before was very real and had followed her here.

"Where are we going?" she asked breathlessly after a few more minutes of climbing. "Is this another lesson?"

"You could call it that."

As they climbed, the island began to change a little. It no longer looked exactly like she remembered. The vegetation became absurdly lush for the shallow rootbed, and the ocean sounds receded. She looked around, trying to make sense of it. The island plunged sharply below them, into a mist thrown up by sea spray, but she couldn't hear or smell it anymore. Ahead, she could see the summit in sharp definition against a blue sky, but it never seemed to be getting any closer. They climbed higher and higher, so much higher than the island really stood, and still the peak remained where it was. The further they went, the less she recognized. Instead of rocks, they seemed to be surrounded by gnarled, twisting life. A jungle! And next to the stairs, a little waterfall babbled down the hill.

"Uh…Luke?" She needed to know if he saw the changes too, or if her mind had begun to bend into madness.

"Keep going," he said tartly.

They climbed further and further, until she thought her lungs would give out or her legs would fall off. Finally, it leveled. They reached the last stair, and a plateau sprawled out before them, grass crawling to the slope continuing up to the peak. Like a whole new mountain. But how could there be a mountain on top of an impossibly high island?

But at the base of that mountain awaited a tunnel. A figure lurked there in the dark, in the shadows. She saw it and froze, her hand darting out to catch Luke's robe.

"There's someone there," she hissed. She twitched for her lightsaber — but it wasn't on her belt. Her stomach dropped like she'd missed the last step and her foot had fallen further than she expected.

Luke glanced at the figure, and then at her. "Are you afraid of him?"

Whoever it was certainly cut a menacing silhouette. Both tall and large of frame. She'd seen it before. Cloaked in black robes, stalking her in a nightmare. But when she searched her feelings, she found that no, she wasn't afraid. Not in the least bit. In fact, she felt inexorably drawn to the wraith. Moving away from Luke now, she approached the figure who became increasingly familiar with each step.

"Ben!" she cried, running to him now.

He stood in the mouth of the tunnel, looking around as if he didn't understand it. At the shout, he turned and managed to catch her right as she lunged at him. His arms wrapped around her, tight and desperate, as if she were the lifeline he'd been searching for.

"Rey," he breathed into her hair. "Where were you? What is this place?"

She shook her head as he set her back down. "I have no idea. I can barely remember anything before I showed up here. Down there, I mean."

Ben followed her gaze to the cliffside and the steps disappearing down it, and to Luke, who now strode towards them. His body stiffened in shock, even as his eyes narrowed. "What? He's…"

"Dead," Rey confirmed. "At least, I think so. Maybe we are too. I can't figure that part out. Do you think the villagers poisoned us?"

"I don't know why they would." He looked puzzled, as if it had just occurred to him that they had been anywhere before this.

"This looked like the island at first, down there. But up here, it doesn't."

"I thought we were on Takodana," said Ben. "Except for the mountain."

Rey saw that the gnarled, twisting trees _did_ have the look of the tortuous forest where they'd first met. In fact, they looked exactly like that. She half-expected BB-8 to come rolling out from behind some rocks, beeping a furious inquiry at her about why she was running away.

Luke brushed past them, his voice mocking and impatient. "Let's go. Plenty of time for all your romantic embraces later."

Ben bristled, his lips curling into an automatic snarl. But Luke didn't seem to notice at all. He merely kept walking, deeper into the tunnel.

"I don't know where he's going," Rey sighed. "But he really wants me — or, I guess _us_ , to follow."

"I'm not going anywhere with him."

"Ben," she cajoled, pushing against him. "Come on. None of this makes any sense. Luke doesn't make any sense. Just go with it."

He rumbled his irritation, but allowed her to persuade him into the darkness. He found her hand and held it firmly, a flare of rebellion sparking in the psychic space between them.

Rey rolled her eyes but didn't protest, half-tempted to laugh that the great and powerful Supreme Leader of the First Order became a petulant teenager in the presence of his uncle. Even after all this time, and all this healing, Luke was still Ben's greatest antagonist.

They followed him into the gloom of the tunnel. It never got too dark to see him, although it was certainly too long a passage for light to penetrate from either side. But Rey had stopped trying to make sense of this changing world, and just went with it. Ben was too distracted by Luke to pay much attention to his surroundings.

Eventually the tunnel opened again, and they stepped into a place that Rey had never seen before. She didn't know if it really existed anywhere in the galaxy. Like this baffling island, it was a contradiction of its own. On the one hand, they seemed to be in a grand reception room, a hall fit for the very wealthy. But not the kind of wealth that Canto Bight attracted. It looked like it was meant for royalty, not gamblers. Except — they were somehow also outside. The high polished stone floor faded into grass at the edges, and the walls only protected two sides of the hall. They didn't meet a ceiling. The arched windows within the walls had no glass, but vines climbing through. On the other sides, they could see verdant world carpeted in lush green fauna and waterfalls, with birds of all variety flying and flitting and singing.

Ben sucked in a sharp breath beside her, but he wasn't looking at the impossibly beautiful scenery. His eyes were pinned on the dais at the far end of the room. Rey followed his gaze in search of what had triggered this reaction.

A group of people stood there, assembled in the light, talking quietly to one another. They didn't seem to have noticed the trio at the other end of the hall.

A strange feeling began to grow in Rey's breast. A warmth washing over her, recognizable and breathtaking. Ben's hand on hers got much tighter, and she glanced at him. His face wore an expression she'd never seen before. Tense. Pained. Reluctant. No — no, that was wrong. She had seen it once, but from a great distance. Right before he plunged his lightsaber into his father's chest. The details of it now pierced her own heart with sorrow.

Luke turned to them, giving Ben a slight smirk.

"Ready to face the music, kid?"

Rey edged in front of him protectively, seeking answers in the face of her mentor. For her, his expression softened a bit. He held out his hand in invitation.

"Come. Everyone is anxious to meet you. Him too, but that's more complicated."

His hand extended towards her reminded her of the island. Of the caretaker's village, when he invited her to dance. Ben hadn't been the first in that regard, though dancing with him had gone much better than the argument that had ended her attempt with Luke. Her gaze flicked back to the people ahead, and drawing in a deep breath, she took Luke's invitation, letting him lead her away from Ben, towards the people.

The only one she recognized was the one she'd known would be there, from the moment Ben first reacted.

Han.

He turned. Everyone else did too, but Rey didn't care about any of them right now. Her heart sped into a nervous rhythm, and despite everything, despite all she'd learned about not worshipping her heroes anymore, awe and overwhelming love spread throughout her whole body like liquid light. Suddenly she couldn't stand it anymore, and broke away from Luke. She ran, burying herself into Han's chest in fierce embrace, tears welling up and spilling over helplessly.

Han, surprised, laughed as he awkwardly returned the embrace. "Hey, kiddo. How's it going?"

Everything came back all at once. All her hopes, her longing, her craving for fatherly affection. Everything she'd felt for those few brief days in his company before it all crashed down around her. It came back in sharp remembrance, piercing through her heart like the shaft of Ben's saber. She pulled away from Han sheepishly, wiping away her tears.

"I never thought I'd see you again," she choked.

"Yeah, well…me neither." He scratched his head. "How's the Falcon? Chewie let you fly her yet?"

"He gave her to me. I've been making repairs, little by little."

Han laughed. "Good luck with that. You'll be making those your whole life and she'll still let you down sometimes. But that doesn't mean she isn't still the greatest ship in the galaxy."

Rey grinned. "Yeah, I know she is."

Han, in all his gruffness, had been warmer and more affectionate to her in a much shorter time than Luke ever had. Ben accused her of looking for her parents in Han and Luke, but Luke had never been much more than a teacher. Even now, he stood there waiting for her like a patient mentor, while Han seemed to exude paternal love.

"Well, good. You deserve to have her," said Han.

"Ben's flown her too," Rey blurted. She didn't know if Han would want to hear that or not, but she needed him to know.

Han's gaze slid past her to his son, still hanging back, still shrinking from this reunion he did not want. The older man's face betrayed a flicker of something — some emotion Rey could not begin to guess at.

"Thanks," he said, giving her a wink and patting her shoulder before moving off towards his son.

Rey turned and, for a moment, forgot about anyone else still waiting to be greeted. She watched as Ben fell back a few steps, shrinking from his father's approach. But Han reached out and grabbed him, pulled him in roughly, wrapped his arms around him, tight and insistent. Ben clung to him. She couldn't see his face and couldn't hear if they exchanged any words, but she saw his shoulders start to heave in great, wracking sobs. A lump formed in her throat, bringing with it a fresh set of tears, and she had to look away.

Luke was watching her with a twinkle in those blue eyes. A glint of knowing. "Han never really knew how to be a dad. Most days he felt like everything he wanted to do for Ben was the wrong thing, but he tried. He loved that kid from the very beginning."

Rey had spent enough time drawn into Ben's heart and head to know that he'd been truthful when he said he hadn't hated his father. He'd been hurt and rejected, a shattered sense of love creating continual wounds in him whenever he thoughts about Han, She'd also felt how profoundly Ben regretted sacrificing him to Snoke, to the darkness. It had won him nothing, profited him nothing, and in the end only created a hole greater than the one he already felt. She gave Luke a little nod now and said nothing.

"Hey," Luke said softly. She glanced up at him once more. "You've done well, Rey. With him. With all of it. The pupil who did what her teacher did not believe was possible. Who retained hope when I had lost it."

Her brow furrowed, sorrow and solemnity and sincerity fighting for dominance. "Hope? You lit that spark, Luke. You brought it back. Because of you, the galaxy fought back. That wasn't me."

"You're wrong, and you'd be wiser not to feed a Skywalker ego, but I'll let you live with your little half-truth if it makes you feel better," he said wryly. His eyes flashed mischievously. Then, turning, he motioned to the others.

A man and a woman Rey did not know approached. She had dark eyes like Leia and Ben, and dark tumbling curls laced with small white flowers. He had hair looked a lot like Ben's, except it was lighter in color — more like Luke's — and not as full. Both were unnervingly beautiful. The woman gave her a shy, gentle smile and touched her arm lightly.

"Hello, Rey."

At the touch, a wave of familiar feeling crashed over her. Warmth and love, maternal and paternal, powerful and encompassing — just like she'd felt it in the woods of Evryn, during her meditation over whether she and Ben could join power. The same familiar, familial feeling from forces unseen. Except now she was seeing them. The strangers who had poured out love for her through the churning channels of the Force. She sensed that she knew them, and yet they were complete strangers.

Luke brushed past her, taking the woman's hand. "Rey. This is my mother, Padme."

She looked, and looked again. Though Luke was still the grizzled recluse from the island, he was somehow also a very young boy in the same moment. His hand small in his mother's, blue eyes wide and innocent and full of love, cheeks round with childhood, sandy blond hair scattered over his brow. But how could she see both versions of him at the same time?

The woman, his mother, laughed lightly. "It's best if you don't try to understand the rules here."

"They won't make any sense until you get here yourself," the man added, grinning a wide, toothy grin.

If this woman was Luke's mother, the senator Ben had told her about, then this man might be — her blood chilled and she froze. "Are you—?"

"That's me," he said, extending a hand to her. "You've no idea how long we've been watching you and waiting to meet you."

"Anakin," Padme chided at Rey's choked laugh. "Be gentle. This is probably overwhelming enough."

Rey, reeling, took his hand and shook it gingerly. This was some kriffing _crazy_ hallucination. If she ever got out of here, she'd have to figure out what was in that drink. Anakin Skywalker? The start of all this? The object of Ben's obsession and her own dread? Darth Vader himself, unmasked and in the — well, not in the flesh, really. Although his hand in hers felt very solid.

"It shouldn't be that big a shock. She knows she's been watched," said Luke, amused. "Though I don't think she imagined you were one of those keeping an eye on things."

"Just you," Rey gasped, tearing her gaze from Anakin long enough to give Luke a wild-eyed stare. "I only thought it was you."

Han and Ben were approaching now. Rey barely felt them, barely acknowledged Han's crooked grin as he assessed her dumbstruck face. Ben's light touch on her hand was like an electric shock. She jumped and glanced at him. The expression he wore was…difficult. Perhaps Han had warned him of who he would meet here, because he looked as if he'd steeled himself for the introductions. When he met her glance, emotions surged between them, two supercharged magnets. Him, grieved, repentant, grateful, humbled, mostly broken. Her, intimidated, astonished, awed, mostly disbelieving.

"I still can't believe you named him after Obi Wan," Anakin grumbled to Han good-naturedly.

The way Han rolled his eyes suggested this wasn't the first time this complaint had been made. "Yeah, well, you can blame your kids for that, old man. They both teamed up against me. I barely knew the crusty codger before you offed him."

"Before I offed myself, thank you," interjected a man from the rest of the group Rey had yet to meet. He had that strange, contradictory kind of face, like Luke. He was both old, with a short white stubbly beard and short white hair — and young, with full bronze hair and a round, groomed beard. In both cases his eyes were piercing blue.

"One of my two masters," Luke introduced. "Obi Wan Kenobi."

Rey's mind spun away into greater and greater disbelief with this and the next introduction. Luke presented her to a tiny green humanoid with long ears and an impossibly ancient face, who he called Master Yoda.

"Most unusual, this situation," Yoda said with great amusement, nodding to Rey by way of greeting, "is it not?"

"I-I'm," she began, struggling to find her voice. "I'm Re—"

"He knows," said Luke. "They both do."

"We have a different role than they do," Obi Wan assured her, motioning to Padme and rest. "But we have been keeping on eye on you as well."

Rey balked in their presence, feeling the weight of all her disobedience and irreverence for the old rules of the Jedi. She'd spurned so much about their way of life. Their order. Her practice of the Force, the way she embraced her emotions and allowed them to give her sometimes dark fuel while she championed the light, flew in the face of everything they had taught and believed.

But they didn't reject her or scorn her, nor even offer a word of reproach. Both were warm and welcoming, and their voices came to her with comforting significance — straight from her first Force vision. Speaking to them, she understood that they had been with her all along. Obi Wan had called her, summoned her out of ignorance and into the light of the Force. When he spoke to her now, she felt her soul stir in response. She knew him. And Yoda too, in whose infinite gaze she saw someone she recognized and who recognized her. Something inside her had always known them, this she understood now with the same kind of certainty that she'd felt towards Padme and Anakin.

Eventually, Padme interrupted the old Jedi Masters. She took Rey's hand and again Rey felt utterly overwhelmed by maternal love swaddling her soul. Padme smiled so sweetly, yet there was strength in that smile. Strength in her stride, in her way of speaking. She took Rey to meet the rest of the others, introducing her first to Shmi, Anakin's mother, and her husband Lars. Then to Owen and Beru, the aunt and uncle who had raised Luke. Next she introduced Rey to Bail and Breha Organa, Leia's adopted parents. Padme's face shone with love and starlight when she spoke of what both couples had done for her — had done for her children. Rey ached with longing when she realized that _this_ was how a mother was supposed to feel for her wayward child. And her own mother hadn't. She didn't care what happened to her tiny daughter, selling her to a bully and a slave master.

"You're here with us now," Padme said gently, pulling Rey into a tender embrace. "You are one of mine, as much as Luke, and Leia, and Han, and Ben."

The hug felt so much like Leia's, Rey almost forgot it wasn't. Both women conveyed fierce strength and infinite compassion in the tension of their bodies, the softness of their arms. Rey felt the same measure of love and acceptance from both.

Anakin, meanwhile, had stolen Ben all for himself. Ben, like Luke and Obi Wan, seemed to wear the same contradictory illusion of competing ages. On the one hand, he was himself, grown and chiseled and hard. But on the other, when his grandfather's hand rested on his shoulder, he was also suddenly a boy in the throes of early puberty, dark hair wild and abundant, brows drawn tight over a lost and yearning visage while his lanky body didn't know whether to be proportioned for childhood or adulthood. Rey saw, and recognized the pain in his juvenile face. She wanted to hug him, even as the adolescent girl in her heart faltered at the sight of someone who knew how her own deep hurts felt.

"Yeah," Han said, sidling up beside her. He propped himself up on one of her shoulders. "He'll be alright. He's got a hell of a lot more emotion tangled up around all of us here than you do, so this is harder for him. But he's strong. He can take it."

Padme laughed, soft and rueful. "He got that from Ani. And his mother. Three peas in a pod, those ones. All passion and heart and very headstrong."

Han snorted in agreement. "Yep, that's Leia alright."

Obi Wan turned to Luke with lifted brows. "And a nightmare to teach."

"Tell me about it," said Luke. "Maybe it's good Leia chose something other than the Force."

"Not so easy to teach were you," Yoda observed. "Like the girl Rey. Teachable, but too attached. Willing, but too full of dreams."

Rey glanced at her master, smiling a little. Han might be the more traditional father figure, but she realized that Luke was the real connection she had here. He was her link to this strange collection of people. She felt tied to him, more than Han, more than the others.

Luke caught her eye and winked.

"In the end, love saved us both," Anakin said to Ben, but loud enough that the others could hear this time. He glanced up at them, at Luke. "Padme tried to do for me what Rey did for you, but I couldn't hear her. It took too long. It took me losing her. Only the imminent death of our son, my last connection to her, could reach me in that darkness. Fortunately, that wasn't your fate too. You were strong. You let her find you before you sunk too deep. You took her hand when she offered it."

Ben's voice was uneven. "I thought I was weak. I couldn't escape the light, no matter how hard I tried."

"I understand." Anakin gripped his shoulder harder. "Snoke used you, as Palpatine used me. But listen to me, Ben. What I did in my service, which was more voluntary than your own, went so far beyond your sins. I am still paying for them. I will for a long time. Redemption doesn't come all at once, and it is harder to make amends when you've left that mortal life. You have already begun your journey back, and you are not making it alone. You're on the right course. Stay that course. You can be whole again."

Padme took Rey's hand once more and pulled her towards the pair. She grabbed Ben's hand with her other and brought it to Rey's, joining them together. Then she stepped back and Anakin put his arm around her waist. She smiled at him, and Rey didn't know if it was tender or sad. She suddenly realized how much time they'd lost, with each other and with the children they made. Whatever the darkness had robbed from Ben, it hadn't been as harrowing as that.

But she was drawn back out of her thoughts again when Padme spoke. "This is why you're here. You need to know that you have made the right choice. This," she held up Rey's left hand, bearing the little silver band. "This is it. The start. It will heal you both. It will heal the galaxy."

Heat burned in Rey's face under the weighty stares of the group, especially of the three Jedi Masters. They knew. They knew that she and Ben intended to break that old rule, the one the couple standing front of them first broke — and destroyed the galaxy with their vows. But the feeling of Ben burned brighter beside her than any self-consciousness or shame. When she turned to him, she knew that whether they approved or not didn't matter. She and Ben weren't Anakin and Padme, and this decision wasn't going to have the same destructive destiny that theirs did. This would be endowed with healing power. Rey knew it the same way she knew that the cycle of life and death were part of her domain now.

Ben, through all his heaving emotions, still held on to the comforting, flickering flame of love and concern for her. It was his solace in all this painful reconciliation. She saw the same intensity in his eyes she'd always seen when he looked at her. They were two halves of one piece, and some imbalance in the universe would be made right by the restoration of that piece.

Han chuckled, breaking in to the moment. "Your mother's gonna lay down and die when you tell her, kid."

"Ironic choice of words," Anakin mused.

Ben looked at his father. "Does she — does she know? About you? About all of this?"

"Sort of." Han shrugged. "She almost joined us, but it wasn't time yet. She's sticking around for you two, and the ones who come after. But she knows I'm here, and that we'll get to be together again eventually."

"We don't want her here yet, though we miss her dearly," Breha Organa said with a smile. "She still has things to do."

"Ben," Padme said, and the name sounded so childlike on her tongue. "Come and meet your other grandparents. They've been keeping an eye on you too. Not like Anakin — none of us can do the things Ani and Luke, and Obi Wan and Yoda can do here. But we've all been watching."

Ben didn't let go of Rey, so she went along for the second round of introductions. Bail and Breha were just as warm to Ben as they had been to her. Rey understood, as Padme led them around, that Ben's family tree was all around her, its leafy branches encompassing her in endless rings of love. The very tree they had discussed on Naboo, the one Leia had invited her to be part of, the one Ben wanted to give to her with his name — it was here. They were here. And this place hummed with the low, melodic music of the earth and the forest in the Force.

Eventually she managed to slip away again, letting Ben be swallowed up by his family, his great-grandmother, his grandfather, all of them. She herself went to Luke, who stood with Obi Wan and Yoda a little bit apart from the others. He smiled a little when she came, as if he'd been waiting.

"You aren't going to try to stop us," she said. "Why not?"

"What oaths are you breaking?" Obi Wan asked. "I don't recall either of you making any. At least not the Jedi Order kind. And Ben already broke the one he made to Snoke."

Yoda looked up at her, a serene look on his wizened face. "With Luke, the old ways of the Jedi have died. With you, a new era dawns and a new generation of learning will you inspire. Object, we do not."

Luke shrugged. "Destinies and all that, remember?"

Rey laughed, incredulous, overwhelmed. It made her think of the Force vision, and a sudden surge of certainty rose in her. She knew what she wanted to do. Remembering that, however, made her remember Temiri. She looked up at the masters. "I found some new Force users, but I left them where they are. Was that the right choice too?"

"Only in time will you know," Yoda said.

"But it _was_ a prudent decision." Obi Wan glanced down at the little master, correcting him. "It is not always necessary or even advisable to pry younglings from the only homes they know, as we have learned."

"Qui-Gon would like you," said Anakin, sidling up to join them. "You approach the Force like he did. Not so dogmatic. Not all light and dark, but a lot of in-between. If you ever come back, we'll have you meet him. He was my first master, before Obiwan. He was…unconventional, like you."

Rey blushed furiously. For some reason Anakin made her much more nervous than the others.

Obi Wan scratched his beard, sighing. "Yes. That sometimes got him, and me, in trouble. Both of you did." He gave Anakin a grudging look. Then, turning his attention back to Rey, he added, "You may find that your methods sometimes get you in trouble too. But Yoda's right. It's time for our ways to die. That isn't what the galaxy needs anymore, if it ever needed it at all. It's time for a fresh start."

Talking with this cohort of Jedi Masters — and one reformed Sith — strengthened her confidence in herself and in the Force. Studying from the ancient books with Ben sometimes left her wondering if her ancestors in the Force were displeased with the path she had chosen to take beside him, forging their own way. But now she knew that was not the case. They supported her, and they would help her.

Eventually she was folded back into the family circle once again, and everyone offered them their tender words of encouragement. Ben seemed to be savoring every interaction. They both knew this likely wouldn't happen, whatever _this_ was. Rey told Padme about meeting her Naberrie relatives, and this information pleased her so much Rey thought she might burst. Instead, she just hugged her again. The instant bond she felt with the woman, the mother of the twins, the senator, the wife of Darth Vader, was powerful and undeniable. Rey loved her, and felt deeply loved by her. She too found acceptance among Breha and Beru, and though Shmi was more emotionally distant, the woman did give her a little embrace by way of parting.

They could feel the end approaching before they were ready, and Ben's hand on hers got tighter again. He didn't want to go. Neither did she. Han put his hands on his hips and sucked in a deep breath.

"Well, kiddos, you can't stay here forever. Not yet, anyway. We don't want that until you're old and gray — older and grayer than this guy here." He jerked his thumb at Obi Wan.

"Don't worry," said Bail Organa, grinning. "You can take your time. We aren't going anywhere."

"Thank — thank you. All of you," Rey said, sweeping her gaze over them once, overwhelmed.

Ben nodded, mute and solemn beside her.

"We are with you," Padme whispered as she gave both of them a hug. "Always. Wherever you feel the Force."

"Well," Anakin joked, "not _always_. We will let you have some privacy, too, after you're married."

Padme laughed and shoved him lightly, giving him a wide-eyed look of incredulity. "Ani!"

Ben lifted a brow. "Does that mean you haven't before now?"

"Don't worry," said Han as he hooked his hand in Ben's arm to turn him and Rey around, walking them towards the tunnel again. "We haven't been intruding when you two are tryn'a defile the Falcon. Or a certain residential AT-AT. Or casino rooms. But do me a favor and get this marriage thing done quickly, okay? None of this procrastination stuff. That almost got your mom and me in trouble."

Rey thought she might silently die of mortification when Luke joined them, coming up beside her, and distracting her from the horror of what Han had so casually revealed.

He gave her a wry glance. "Are they all a bit more than you expected?"

She searched his blue eyes, shaking her head. "Is any of this real? Or are we just dreaming?"

"Why can't it be both?"

Han chuckled. "It's all mumbo jumbo anyway. Don't melt your brains trying to figure it out."

At the mouth of the tunnel, they paused. Ben looked around once more, taking in the whole scene as if to imprint it on his brain. "Is this Alderaan?"

Han nodded, following his gaze around. "As best we can tell. Bail says it is, anyway. Who knows, things are kinda funky around here. We can be anywhere we want, or everywhere, all at the same time. Lukey here sometimes conjures Tattooine, but old Dad won't go with him. Too much sand."

"Do you ever visit Corellia?" Rey asked him.

He shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nah. Mostly I just hang out near Nabboo, since that's where Leia is. Hey, you kids tell her 'hi' for me, okay? Not that she'll believe you, but…" he looked at Ben. "Check in on her once in a while. She keeps herself busy, but she's still alone at the end of the day. Don't let her get too lonely, huh?"

Ben nodded. He was finally able to hold his father's gaze, promising softly, "I will."

Han turned to Rey, grinning and mussing her hair. "And welcome to the family, kiddo."

She hugged him once, fiercely, grateful for a chance to say goodbye this time.

Luke extended his hand to Ben, who stared at it for a moment before he finally shook it, jaw tight. Luke smirked. "Good enough for me. Good luck to you both. You're gonna need it."

"Will we see you again?" Rey asked him. "Out there?"

"If you need me, but my guess is you won't."

After the final goodbyes had been said, Luke and Han watched them turn into the tunnel and start heading back under the mountain. Rey wondered what would happen when they got to the base of the island — how they'd actually get back, and if they'd remember any of this, when she began to feel the hazy sensation of the world falling out, bit by bit, under her feet. Before they'd even reached the top of the stairs, they were lost to the void.

* * *

Light rain sprinkled against her face, her arms, her shins. Someone was giggling nearby, and someone else shushing the giggler. Rey struggled to surface from fog clouding her mind, struggled to remember where she was and why she was on the ground. She squinted, opening her eyes and blinking against a muted grey dawn. A heavy weight was draped across her side, her back shielded against the cold air. She turned slightly, finding Ben next to her, holding her with his face buried in the back of her hair. His arms wrapped around her protectively, snug and secure. Probably the reason for the giggling, she decided, recognizing the laughter as coming from Rose.

"You didn't see it last night?" Court was whispering softly.

"No! Maybe? I can't really remember a lot of last night after we drank that stuff," Rose shot back.

Ben twitched against Rey's back, his breathing changing as he woke. Rey squirmed out of his spooning grasp, sitting up, dizzy and disoriented.

"Hey!" Rose cried, hurrying over to them. She crouched down. "You're awake!"

"Am I?" Rey shook her head. Beside her, Ben rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up with his arms. He looked like he might be sick.

Court laughed. "Lightweights. You really can't handle anything, can you?"

"Did we get drunk?" Rey asked.

"Nah, like I told you last night. But there were some powerful psychotropics in there. I had the craziest hallucinations. Flying into the mouth of a nebula dragon monster creature, that sort of thing."

Rose nodded in agreement. "Me too. And I think there were some powerful aphrodisiacs in there too. The head villager guy you're friends with told us they drink it at the harvest festival to encourage a productive spring fawning season. They seriously should have told us that before giving it to us. He said he didn't think it would have the same effect on humans."

"I think that's a bunch of karking nonsense," said Court from her perch on a stump. She was carving in to one of the wooden cups with knife. "But at least that Resistance boy is some good fun for rolling around in the woods."

Ben groaned, finally staggering to his feet. "You didn't."

"Why not? I'm just having some non-committal fun, unlike someone else I know," she said, pointing her knife at Rey.

"Yeah. Speaking of!" Rose grabbed her hand and stared at the ring. "Why didn't you tell us? Why did I have to learn it from Court?"

"It was there for your obtuse self to see all along," Court quipped. "It isn't her fault you're not so observant."

Rose shot her a harmless glare, sticking out her tongue in a manner totally befitting a younger sibling. Court grinned a toothy grin in response.

But Rey was having trouble keeping up with the rapid march of events. Her mind was still trying to cling to the remnants of whatever dream — or hallucination — she'd just emerged from. She glanced up at Ben. He helped her to her feet. She held onto him and pulled him in closer.

"Ben," she murmured, hopefully too low for the others to hear. "Did you — was that —?"

"Yes. I remember it too," he said softly.

"Was it real?"

"I don't know if it matters." He looked down at their hands, running his thumb over the ring on her finger. He swallowed. "I intended to stay until the _Silencer_ was finished, but I think we should go to her. To my mother."

* * *

 **{Author's Note}**

* * *

I had to...I couldn't resist. And it was fun. I coulda stayed there for way longer. Forgive me :3


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**

I liiiiiive.

I saw TROS on opening night and was SO FULL OF MANY FEELINGS about the things that happened, I knew I needed to finish this story. I'm going to write things relating to TROS too, but I have to finish this. If you've seen it, you might know why. I won't post spoilers yet, it's not been out long enough, so if you want to talk through your feelings, message me.

I'd planned to write filler chapters between the last one and this, but that didn't happen, so let's just jump a few months ahead.

Next chapter will be up tomorrow. I think the next will be last official chapter, with an epilogue to follow a couple days after Christmas.

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Overwhelmed

* * *

 **B E N**

* * *

It could have all gone so wrong.

Ben knew this. He knew how differently things might have turned out, had other choices been made, or other circumstances arisen. It had to be some mistake, or perhaps some mercy, of fate that he had not been made to atone for his dark sins with his life. That he was alive, and allowed to be here today, about to marry the girl who had saved him. From himself. From the darkness. From death. He liked to think he had saved her too, but it wasn't an equitable trade. He knew the balance was still tipped in his favor. She'd done so much more for him than she could know, so much more than he could ever repay.

And now they would go on as One, in pursuit of the Force, in search of the answers as to why their souls were mirror images, what it was that had forged this unbreakable bond between them. They would continue to dismantle the last remnants of the First Order, and any other threats that tried to bring back galactic domination. They would find others. Other Force-Sensitives, or even those who didn't have the gift but the desire, and they'd teach them.

That was Rey's wish, anyway. Ben wasn't sure that was his specific calling, but he would walk his own path in tandem with her's and discover a purpose that harmonized.

The murmur of the ocean and the cry of porgs composed a lonely island symphony. Ben stood outside Luke's hut, hands behind his back, staring down the long winding stairs to where the tide sprayed against rocks. The Force was _powerful_ here. It ebbed and flowed around him in waves mirroring the water, violent and peace in equal measure, light and dark in perfect balance. It hummed around and through him, as alive as he'd ever felt it. Luke had chosen a rather bad spot to try to get away from it all. The Force would be very difficult to ignore here.

"To think, this is where he was all that time," a soft voice said, coming up beside him.

He didn't turn to meet his mother's eye. He knew she'd searched for Luke as long as he had — maybe longer, though her intentions were purer than his own.

But her comment wasn't a novel one. Ben thought it himself when they first arrived. This was where Luke had been when Snoke sent Kylo after Poe's trail, the whole time he hunted BB-8, the place he glimpsed but did not understand in Rey's mind. It was _this_ island she had dreamed of. It was _this_ island where Luke was all along. And it was _this_ island where Rey was when their strange bond began. It seemed like everything he'd been searching for ended up being here, just waiting for him to find it. And until he surrendered the person he thought he was, the discovery remained just out of reach.

He felt his mother's gaze turn on him. "Are you ready?"

Now he did glance at her, and saw a twinkle of amusement glinting in her dark eyes. He suppressed a smile and returned his attention to the water below. "I was ready a long time ago."

Almost from the very beginning, he thought but did not say. Almost from the first moment he carried her in his arms on Takodana. Certainly from the moment she came to him on the Supremacy, and crowded him in that elevator, and almost died by Snoke's order and Ben's own hand just in the hope of saving him.

He'd been ready to marry her all this time, even when he tried to convince himself otherwise.

"Is she alright?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Leia laughed. "Now that I'm not making her try on dresses she hates, and now that we're here and it's time, yes."

He glanced over towards Rey's hut, at the mottled scar in its side from new rocks where the caretakers had patched her blaster fire. She'd shown it to him on her tour of the island, after they'd first arrived two days ago, ahead of their entourage. She showed him the cave with the fountain and the ledge, showed him the caretaker's village and Luke's hut and even the dark side blowhole. Her own hut was what most interested him, though. The hut where she tried to kill him, and the hut where she sat, dripping, cold, and sad, and offered him her hand. The hut where she was now, he presumed.

"Rose and Court are in there with her?" he asked.

Leia snickered. "No, they aren't. But Rey isn't either. Rose and Court went to find her and make her get ready."

"You say that like you know where she is."

"I do." His mother sounded so mischievous, he almost didn't recognize her. He lifted a brow and waited for further explanation.

"She got ready a long time ago. She's sitting at the peak. Look." She turned and pointed.

Ben squinted at the top of the island high above them. He didn't see much, but he could almost fool his mind into thinking he could barely make out the shape of a human figure on that rocky summit. His mouth quirked into an amused half-smile.

"She'll be back in time," his mother assured him.

"I wasn't concerned." Ben could check on Rey through their bond, could reach out and tune in to her feelings as easily as taking a breath, if he wanted. But he didn't. He let her have this moment of solitude in her lofty refuge. Whatever her feelings were about what would happen today, they were her own, and she could keep them private if she wanted. Meanwhile he would sit in his own, contemplating the cosmic oversight that allowed him this undeserved miracle.

"Interesting that she would choose this place," Leia mused after a few moments of silence. "The Force is strong here. You'll begin your new life together bathed in the energies of the whole galaxy."

Ben drew in a deep breath, acknowledging this truth. When his mother asked them where they'd like to be married, he'd floundered for an answer. He had very few happy memories anywhere in the galaxy. Everywhere held a haunting for him. The ghosts of his crimes lurked on almost every planet.

Rey had gone quiet too, and they'd both been silent on the topic for so long that eventually his mother just sighed and said they could do it on Naboo. But that night Rey's dreams had been entirely occupied with this island, so when she woke and told him she thought Ahch-To might be the place for them, he wasn't surprised.

"I don't really want to show anyone that place," Rey had confessed softly, "It's…too sacred. It's Luke's temple. It's mine. But it feels right. There's no where else."

"If it is sacred to you, it will be sacred to anyone you bring there with you. Your people will treat it with respect," he told her.

Rey laughed. "I think I already destroyed any expectation of respect there."

Ben very much wanted to see it himself, so he didn't say anything to dissuade her. Besides, it was neutral ground for him. He had no memories there. No stains. Luke's presence was _all over_ the place, but he'd gotten over it quickly after they arrived. More than Luke, the Force thrummed with incredible life here. No wonder her powers had developed so quickly, and why their bond flared to life with such immediacy. This island felt like an amplifier.

He could feel his mother watching him again. "What do you want to know?"

She smiled. "Nothing. You're just very quiet this morning. Very in your head, I think."

"Because I'm usually so talkative," he tossed back.

"There was a time when you were really little that I couldn't get you to stop talking," she said fondly. Her soft, reminiscing smile faded at the edges just a little, and she added, "You got quieter as you got older."

 _Or maybe you got too busy to listen_ , Ben thought, but again held the comment back. He had given up his feelings of resent - or at least tried to. They were on a rebuilt path now, trying to find their way forward as mother and son. This was the wrong time to bring up old wounds. Today wasn't about the past. Today was about the future.

Finn and Poe were making their way up the stairs towards them from where they'd spent the morning communicating with the new government. Chewie carried BB-8 behind them, while R2 used his tiny thrusters to zoom up the path by himself, Threepio toddling along last of all. The retinue of special troopers had been left behind, given time off with no real explanation for why. That was Ben's decision. They didn't need to know.

"It's still too many people," he said aloud, for the sake of his mother who seemed about to voice another memory of when he was little.

"This is her family," Leia said gently. "And you're, since she brought you in. There's no one extra here."

Everyone who wasn't Rey was extra, in Ben's opinion, but he knew they needed someone to perform the ceremony for it to be legal under galactic law. That accounted for his mother, who he had to admit he wanted there anyway. But Rey wanted Finn with her, and then it couldn't stop there, so soon the whole little ragtag group was together on this island. Ben endured it for her sake.

At least everyone looked nice.

"My wedding was more impulsive than this," Leia reminisced. "But just as small. It's good that way, Ben. It's good to be surrounded by people who care about you."

He didn't say anything to this. He knew his parents had decided to marry on Endor, and they'd done it right then and there. In the heat of their victory. He hoped this decision was a little more thought-out than theirs. He'd held on to his desire to ask for a long time, uncertain and reluctant. He hadn't known if it would be right or good for them. He couldn't say that marriage was good for his parents, after all. But after ruminating over it for so long, he finally made the decision. And if that hallucination was to be believed, it _was_ the right path for them.

His gaze flicked once back up to the peak, wondering how Rose and Court were faring in their search.

"Look, Ben, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," Leia said suddenly, her attention on the men and droids climbing towards them. "Before everybody gets here. It's about what you told me."

Ben turned to face her, ready to offer what explanation he could. He'd been expecting her to ask about their strange force visit ever since they'd first told her about it — about meeting everyone who had died. The family, the Jedi masters, everyone. When they told her, she'd merely smiled and immediately launched in to the logistics of a wedding without really pausing to inquire more about the spectacular vision, or hallucination, whatever it was. Now she wanted to talk about it. Well, so did he.

"I don't think you should let Rey take your last name."

Ben frowned in surprise. That was not at all what he was expecting to her. "What?"

"The name, Ben. You said you wanted to give her a name. Don't give her yours."

"Why?" His voice sounded as bemused as he felt. "It was good enough for you to give it to me."

"I was in the delirious throes of love," she sighed. "The romantic in me wanted you to have your father's last name, but I should have thought about it better. You avoided his problems by throwing it off for a new name when you became a man, but it could cause a whole world of problems now that the galaxy is settling down from this war, and now that you're Ben Solo once again."

"I'm not changing my name," Ben said flatly. He would never say it out loud, maybe never even let Rey see it inside him, but he was proud to have his father's name. Wearing it was the least payment he could make for his wretched mistake.

"I know you won't. But don't make her take it. Solo is a name that means debt and trouble. Let her be a Skywalker instead. She's one of us, she should bear our family name. Your grandfather's name."

Ben rubbed his temples with one hand, closing his eyes against the difficulty of his mother. Coming in last minute to complicate things.

"Whichever one she wants," he said. "I won't tell her what to do."

Leia smiled. "Smart man."

"You can't tell her what to do either," he warned. "Don't tell her that she _must_ be Skywalker instead of Solo. Just let her decide. Either one is fine with me."

Both names still made her his, which was such a possessive thing to think, but it gave him a curl of pleasure in his heart to think it anyway. That elusive scavenger, that creature of irresistible dichotomy, she would carry one of his family names with her from this day forward.

His mother lifted her hands innocently. "Whichever she wants, I promise."

By then the group of climbers had reached the top of the stairs, the three sentients out of breath and the droids chipper.

"Good grief," wheezed Finn. "That's way too many stairs. It was too many stairs last night and it's _definitely_ too many stairs today. Why did they build the landing platform all the way down there?"

Chewie groaned.

Poe shook his head. "I don't know how you did it the first time either."

"Are the ladies still getting ready?" Finn asked. "Where are they?"

"In a manner of speaking," Leia said with amusement. "They'll be along. Rest for a minute if you like, but then rally, my boys. We're climbing further still."

She motioned above them to the saddle between the two peaks of the island, one smaller than the other. That open space could only be reached by—

"More stairs?" Finn said in dismay.

Leia laughed. Even Ben had to smile, just a little.

Poe looked around at the huts, lowering himself onto one of the short stone walls for a brief rest. "This place is something else, huh? I couldn't really make it out when we arrived last night. In the daylight, it looks ancient."

"It is," Ben told him.

They noticed Ben then, and Finn staggered over to shake his hand. "Hey, congrats, man. Big day, huh?"

Ben didn't know what to say. That he wanted it all to be over so they could be on the other side of it and just be together already? That on the other hand, this day was beyond anything he'd ever imagined for himself? That he didn't know how to feel, or what to do?

He just gave Finn a silent nod and said nothing at all.

Chewie came over to ruffle his hair, but Ben's arm darted out reflexively and he grabbed Chewie by the wrist before his big paw could tousle Ben's carefully arranged waves. He shook his head. "Don't."

The Wookiee snickered, pulling his arm back.

Leia hugged him and thanked him for coming. Ben was grateful she didn't try to reminisce with Chewie about his childhood.

One of the caretakers appeared then and jabbered something. None of them knew the language, except Threepio, who translated quickly.

"She informs us that everything in the village is ready for the feast after we are finished, and asks if there is anything else they can do to accommodate us?"

"No, thank you," Leia said gently. "We'll get this show on the road and be down by sunset."

"Down," Finn lamented. Poe patted him on the back.

BB-8 chirped something in excited whistles. Poe looked up towards the ridge above them.

"Oh, I see them," he said, pointing.

The company turned to see Rose and Court making their way across the saddle towards the stairs.

Leia started hurrying up them. "No need to make them come all the way down just to go up again. Come on."

Ben let everyone flow past him, following his mother. Chewie grumbled when he picked up BB-8 again, but dutifully followed anyway. Ben waited a few seconds before starting after them. His pulse had accelerated and he took a moment to breathe and slow it down again.

Finn looked down at him. "Aren't you coming, Solo? I'm pretty sure you're on the one getting married today, right?"

Ben expelled a long breath. Yep, too many people.

At the top of the stars where the earth swelled to a rise where the two summits curved down to meet one another, the company assembled.

"Where's Rey?" Finn asked Rose, eyes wide.

She shook her head and Court shrugged.

"We can't find her!" Rose exclaimed. "We went to her hut this morning to see if she wanted our help to get ready, but she was already gone. We got ready ourselves and then went to go find her. We thought maybe it was nerves or something."

"We've climbed up and down this whole kriffing island," Court grumbled. "She's not anywhere."

"Did she run?" Poe asked incredulously.

Leia glanced and Ben, and Ben let her see the amusement playing at the corner of his mouth. He walked a few yards away to the crest of the saddle, examining the edge of the cliff. Down below, an angry sea churned and smashed against rocks. Porgs squalled at him from their nests on the rocks.

"Run? Run where? What ship would she have taken?" Court fired back at Poe. "The Falcon is there, the shuttle is there, your X-wing is there, every ship we brought is still down there."

"Okay so she didn't leave the planet, but don't those villagers have boats?" He demanded.

Court laughed."You think she's just rowing out to sea?"

Finn jogged over to Ben, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Hey man, you doing okay? I'm sure we'll find her. She loves you. She wouldn't run."

Ben picked up Finn's hand and returned it to him. "I appreciate your concern, but she's fine. She'll come when she feels ready."

"How do you know? This place is crazy steep and there are cliffs all over, what if she slipped and fell in the water? She's a desert kid, does she even know how to swim? She could be in real trouble!"

Ben chuckled, genuinely amused by the absurdity of that fear. He turned away from the ocean below and looked back at the group. Court and Poe were still squabbling, Chewie had wandered away, and Rose was trying to break up the argument. His mother slid in between Finn and Ben, sliding her hand through Ben's arm and hooking him at the elbow.

"Too many people," she agreed, eliciting an appreciative smirk from him.

Finn cleared his throat. "General, I gotta be honest, I've never been to a wedding — is this how they're supposed to be?"

"Messy? Oh yes, all of them. Big ones, small ones, private affairs, galactic events." Leia laughed. "If you want a story of a truly wild wedding, ask Poe about the one we threw for Karé Kun and Snap Wexley."

He chuckled uncertaintly. "Oh, okay. So it's totally normal for the bride to just…vanish, then?"

Leia's voice gentled. "Oh, well, no. I mean, yes, people get cold feet all the time. But I don't think that's the case here. Rey hasn't vanished. She's right there."

She pointed, and both men looked to see a white shape moving down the craggy bald boulders at the top of the peak above them. Ben's mouth quirked into a secret smile. Finn startled.

"What is she doing all the way up there?"

"Mediating, I assume."

"Oh, like a Force thing?"

Leia shook her head. "Not so much a Force thing as a life-evaluation thing. At least, that's my guess. I haven't spoken to her, I only saw her head up there early this morning, before dawn."

"She's been up there all day?"

"Finn, you surprise me. You know her. Is it weird for Rey to seek solitude when she's got something on her mind?"

"No," admitted Finn. "And she can go a _really_ long time without food. Days if she has too. Not me. I'd probably have come down to eat something way before now."

That made Leia laugh again.

Ben tracked Rey's descent, warmth washing over him at the sight of her. His pulse quickened again and he carefully regulated his breathing so no one would detect how he thrilled at this distant glimpse of her.

Chewie stood at the base of the steep incline. He'd spotted her too and was watching her come down. He roared to draw the others' attention to her arrival.

"What the hell," Poe said, half-amused, half-exasperated. "Did she transform into a Chandrillan Mountain Goat all of the sudden? Why is she way up there?"

Court looked horrified. "Her dress! She's climbing around rocks in a _white dress_? It's ruined for sure."

Rose winced too. "Leia spent so long trying to help her find the right one, too."

Poe glanced at Court incredulously. "You care what happens to a dress? _You_?"

She cast him a narrow-eyed glare. "What, you think because I don't wear fancy things very often and I dress myself the way I do that I can't appreciate beautiful apparel?"

"Ugh, _stop_ ," Finn complained loudly to them. "Stop arguing."

He leaned towards Leia and Ben and lowered this voice. "It's a good thing they're rarely in the same place because they've been utterly _insufferable_ since that harvest festival."

Leia sighed. "Court's right, she probably _has_ ruined that dress. And we worked so hard to find her something she could feel comfortable in."

"You succeeded," Ben told her. "She certainly is comfortable."

"Too comfortable, apparently. She'll look —"

"Like a scavenger?" he interrupted. "She doesn't care. I don't care. I fell for a scavenger, after all."

"Wow," Finn said quietly and admiringly.

The white figure in sharp relief against the emerald green slope was beginning to resolve. Ben cleared his throat, a sense of anticipation finally seeping into his veins. Except for those two quick moments of excitement, he'd fine all morning — a tranquil pond of slow moving, contemplative emotions. But now, seeing her draw nearer, his whole soul began to rise to this moment.

Chewie met her when she got down to him and began escorting her back to the group, the two of them obviously joking about something. Ben stepped forward with the intention of going to meet them, but his mother stopped him with a hand on the arm.

"She is yours soon enough, son. Be patient. Wait here."

Then she herself went, striding across the windy expanse towards the figures. Ben straightened, lifting his chin and squaring his stance, drawing on as much patience as he could muster. Court came up to him, grinning wickedly.

"Here she comes. You ready, bossman?"

Ben allowed himself a short laugh. "Everyone keeps asking me that."

"Well, I guess you can't really know if you're ready for something like this," she agreed. "But you do look great. She's gonna melt."

She herself had cleaned up well, though that came as no surprise. He'd seen her on Canto Bight. Unlike Poe, Ben would never accuse Court of not knowing the value of fine clothing.

Rose took Finn's hand and led him to some predetermined spot. All the companions arranged themselves, their little assembly ready. BB-8 beeped excitedly, and R2 whistled in agreement.

The wayward trio finally approached, and Ben's breath caught in his chest.

He had tried _so hard_ not to love her. He'd fought with everything he possessed to keep her out of his head and out of his heart. He tried to cling to what he knew. To his discipline. To the dark. He tried to tell himself that the desperate ache in his chest whenever she crossed his mind was hate, nothing else. She just provoked his struggle against the light, that was all. He hated for her for that. For making him feel weak. He hated her for winning the love and attention of his father when Ben had failed to. That's all it was - hate, right? But Ben knew hate, he applied it to himself all the time, and it was too big a lie for him to believe. He couldn't hate her. He was fascinated by her, and then his soul began to crave her, craved the soothing balm interacting with her brought to the fires of his self-loathing. He needed to be with her. So then he convinced himself that he could get what he wanted, sort of, if he could just persuade her to embrace her dark fate as he had. If he could help her use her pain for fuel, as he did. If she could train with him, be his apprentice or partner, it would be enough.

But _stars_ how he had tried not to fall too far.

It didn't work.

And now she was here, arrayed in dazzling, luminescent white fabric that clung to her in a way that was natural and right, that was both breathtaking and yet somehow also exactly suited to her. He loved the glow of her skin, the curve of her neck, the brown curls which had escaped the elegant arrangement behind her head. He even loved the dirt that caught on the edges of her fine white dress, the tear in the sheer sleeve, the traces of her mountain climb.

She greeted her friends with hugs and warm words, laughing when they teased her, the warmth of her soul bathing them all in comforting sunlight. Ben couldn't hear anything they said. He couldn't think of anything but her.

For so long he'd waited, not daring to hope, forbidding himself from the dream, for someone who wouldn't turn away from his monstrosity. He'd told himself to get used to isolation, to find strength in solitude. He didn't get to imagine companionship. He wasn't destined for someone who cared. Kylo Ren had constructed around him a fortress of rage and hatred and desperate loneliness.

She cut through that fortress in clean, powerful strokes and dragged him out of his own ruin.

Now she turned to him, her eyes meeting his. He was overcome, utterly drowned in awe of her. He swallowed, holding out his hand as he'd done once, twice, three times. She took it, her skin sliding against his, warm and calloused and familiar. In this place where they had first touched. Ben couldn't stop looking at her, even as he walked her to last few steps up the rise to where his mother had taken her place as the officiant.

 _You're staring, Ben_ , she thought to him, her cheeks warming beneath his gaze. The effect was irresistible.

 _You're beautiful,_ he returned helplessly.

His mother began speaking, saying something meaningful, probably. Ben didn't care what she said. He couldn't focus on any of it. He was overwhelmed with bewilderment and awe and gratitude. He tore his eyes away from her, staring past his mother, into a clear blue sky. But even when he wasn't looking at her, he could feel her light engulfing him. He thought of the Force vision from that kyber cave and felt confident in whatever future came. Because she was his, and he was her's.

Ben went through the motions, the rituals, and turned when Rey gently took his other hand, vowing in the Force the things she had already promised before, promises that meant everything to him. That she wasn't going anywhere, that they were two halves of one whole, that they were the balance. Ben vowed too, but everything he said felt so inadequate. Words failed to convey the emotions sweeping through him on powerful tides. Luckily, he didn't have to speak them well. She was there, inside him, her soul mingled with his, and she could feel exactly what he wanted her to know. And at the last, just before his mother concluded, he gave her back the words she had once given him.

"If we stay, we stay together. If we go, we go together. Whatever the Force wills, we will meet it together."

And then his mother said the impossible thing about them being husband and wife, and then Rey was laughing, and Ben ran his fingers along her jaw, tipping her face up to him so that he could kiss her again, with all the shy wonder of the first time. Except the first time had been a violent breaking of a dam and they had fallen headfirst into that kiss, and he could feel the same wreckage impending now, for even as his lips met hers in reverence and hesitation, fire raced through them both. He broke away from it, expelling a soft, unsteady breath.

Their friends were applauding. Rey blushed and hid her face in his shoulder.

 _Why did we invite so many people?_ She wondered to him.

 _Your idea._

And then everyone was around them, pulling them apart to give them hugs of happiness and congratulations. Even though there were only nine of them, counting the droids, they seemed like a much bigger crowd.

"I can't believe it, Rey," Poe said, hugging her tight, "You're a Solo now!"

"Actually," Rey glanced at Leia and then at Ben, "I've taken his other family name. Leia made a good point, Han made a reputation for that name."

"So you're Rey Skywalker?" Rose asked, unmasked awe in her voice.

Court whistles low. "Now _that_ name will get you all kinds of places in this galaxy."

Ben found her hand and pulled her out of the fray and to him.

She smiled, and his head spun dizzily at the way her eyes glittered with joy. "Your mother said you were alright with it."

He gave her a nod. "I am."

"You have a name now," Finn said with good-nature envy. "Where do I get one?"

Court nodded at him. "I know a guy."

Finn laughed, Court laughed, and then as if they'd planned it, they grabbed Ben and Rey's hands and began to drag them down the mountain. The others followed, pushing or pulling the couple through the golden light of sunset down the path that led to the caretaker's village.

Ben held tight to one one of Rey's hands, allowing them to lead him to the feast but not whisk her away again. He looked back and saw his mother standing there, watching them all go with a peaceful smile on her face. And he had to look again, because he could have almost sworn he saw his father and uncle standing beside her.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Content warning - we're gonna really push the limits of our 'T' rating here. But trust me, in the most tasteful way. I promised you at the beginning we wouldn't go anywhere explicit, and we won't! So ride with me into the conclusion (minus the epilogue) of our long and winding road.

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN: At Last

* * *

 **REY**

* * *

However low their opinion of her had sunk during her time here with Luke, the caretakers had proven forgiving and generous in hosting a lively feast and dance for the newlyweds and their companions. Maybe they just liked a good excuse for a party.

The night was one of rapturous joy, and Rey felt almost dizzy with euphoria. She ate well and danced with her friends, she hugged everyone who wanted it, she even made a concerted effort to speak to the caretakers in the bits of their language she had tried to pick up.

And through all of it, Ben.

Ben beside her, Ben pulled away from her, Ben watching or touching or even sometimes kissing her when he got the chance. Ben _smiling_.

He was more reserved in this revelry than Rey, but she could feel his happiness like a brightly burning flame in him. And she burned too. Their twin fires were merged.

His mother found him and embraced him once more. He returned the affection, murmuring his gratitude for her. She embraced Rey next, and Rey didn't know how to express how much she loved and appreciated this woman who had become every bit the mother she ever wanted. Ben reacted to this with a surge of satisfaction and peace. The feeling in him radiated through Rey too - their world was now made right.

Finn took Leia's place, bouncing and overflowing with excitement for them. They laughed and let him embrace them both yet again. He pointed at Ben and issued some good-natured threats about not hurting Rey, and he told Rey that she could have done a lot better, but said it all with a wink and a rush of genuine joy.

After Poe came and dragged Finn away to come try some drink he'd just discovered, Ben took Rey over to a table overflowing with all kinds of food. They sat in a couple of vacant chairs. Ben dragged hers close to his and kissed her again, deep and unconcerned with anyone who might be watching. It made Rey shiver with pleasure.

The caretakers showered the couple with beaded necklaces and crowns made of shells and feathers, they heaped gifts of salted fish, handmade bowls, and utensils carved from bones on the table before Rey and Ben. Threepio translated where Rey's ability failed. They expressed their congratulations and wished luck, harmony, and a path through the Force for the new couple.

Court flopped into a chair beside Rey, exhausted from a particularly rigorous dance. She seized one of the drinks and downed it one long draught. Setting the cup down, she looked over at them, at Rey holding tight to Ben's hand.

"So?" She asked. "What happens now?"

Rey grinned. "We take the Falcon wherever we want, you take the others back to Naboo in the shuttle."

Court laughed. "No, I know what _happens_ now," she said, flashing Rey a cheeky glance. "I meant what happens with your whole galaxy-saving plan?"

"Oh." Rey's face flushed hot and she laughed along with her friend. "Nothing happens. We keep going. Nothing has changed as far as anyone beyond this island is concerned. We just keep doing what we started until the First Order is completely dissolved."

"And then?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

Court shifted in her seat. "Well, that's good enough, anyway. I was just afraid you'd dismiss me as your pilot."

"Why would we do that?" Ben asked mildly, apparently tuned into the conversation.

"Well, I mean, I don't know." Court shrugged, motioning to the feast around them. "People tend to make new life choices after something like this. I assumed you would too."

"We have a job to do," Ben assured her. "I hired you for the duration of that job, and I expect you to stay until then."

"And after," Rey added. "I want you to always be in my life. Even when we don't need a pilot anymore, you're still my friend."

Court patted Rey's hand, giving her a wink. "Don't worry, Boss Queen, I'm not so easy to get rid of as that."

Rose came over to cajole them into another dance. Court went but Rey demurred. Ben had shown her once that he knew how to dance - at least formally - but he didn't seem inclined to show everyone else his secret. Besides, the party was loud, her friends energetic and a little drunk, and Rey felt a sudden craving to be alone with Ben. So rather than dance, she chose instead to take Ben's hand and pull him away from the crowd, toward the rocky outcropping the villagers used to launch their boats. It was quieter out here, and a little more private.

"Just tell me when you want to leave them," she murmured, leaning into his chest, savoring the feeling of his arms encircling her.

"I was ready to leave hours ago."

Rey laughed. "Haven't you had a good time?"

"Yes," he admitted. "But I'm looking forward to the next part where we get to be alone."

Rey blushed and said nothing about this. Without leaving his embrace, she turned her head away from the rolling black water and back towards the feast, observing then lights and colors with a sense of peaceful distance now. "This was exactly right," she decided. "These last few months your mother has asked me over and over what I wanted, what I was hoping for. I didn't know. I had no idea what to hope for, all I wanted was to be somewhere with you and then leave that place -married... to you."

She still staggered around the word, still felt the alien strangeness of it. A word that couldn't possibly apply to _her_. Not as a lonely scavenger, not as a Jedi. It was what drove her from her bed in the restless hour before dawn, seeking some reconciliation with that word and her own identity.

But she shunted these thoughts away and continued. "But if I had known what to hope for, I would have wanted this."

Ben's breath was steady and calm against her, his emotions subdued. He dropped a kiss into her hair and held her tighter still. "I'm happy you are happy," he said contentedly.

"I can feel them all around us," she told him. "The others. The ones who have gone."

The ones they saw in that strange fever dream.

"So can I," he said. "And earlier, I could have sworn —" shaking his head, he decided, "But it couldn't have been. My father can't do the things Luke and the other Jedi can do. He doesn't have that ability."

"No," Rey agreed, but if Ben saw an image of his father she didn't necessarily think it was just an illusion. "The veil between our two worlds is thinner here. And with us here, and your mother, and the Jedi who came before, it may be that there is enough life force on this island to thin it further. I can feel him. I think what you saw was real."

There certainly were strange and powerful things happening in the Force, and the epicenter of all of it was right here.

"Come on," Ben said, stepping back so he could take her hand. "Let's sneak away."

Rey laughed. "Just leave everyone?"

"If what you said is true, there are a lot more people here than I want to deal with. Besides, they're having fun. We'll disrupt them if we say goodbye. And there's somewhere I want to take you. Another candidate in our quest to find the most beautiful place."

Rey's insides fluttered and anticipatory warmth spread through her. She nodded, the glow of the feast lights reflecting in Ben's eyes and giving him that soft look she loved so well.

She let him lead her by the hand into the night, across the sea-foam shore and salted rocks. The music and revelry of the party fell away behind them, a distant song echoing faintly over the rolling deep and conversant waves. Above them the galaxy was all arrayed in a presentation of stars, countless and shining, all of it connected by a living web of energy.

How often had Rey, unable to sleep for the unending gnaw of loneliness in the pit of her stomach, lay at the top of her AT-AT home and stared up at these very stars, imagining every place better than where she was? How many times had she dreamed of green worlds, of people who didn't scrounge for a living in the sand, of someone who could stop the pain with a kind word, a kind touch, an unconditional love?

But in all her nights spent imagining, she never thought of Ben. She didn't know that a love like _this_ could exist at all.

But here he was, leading her through the dark to the ramp of her ship, speaking nothing while his heart thrummed along the same vibration of her own. Her miraculous other half.

They entered the Falcon and closed the ramp behind them. He took her to the cockpit and directed her into the captain's seat, taking his own place beside her. While she fired up the ship, he punched in coordinates she didn't recognize.

Then they lifted off and sailed out above an inky sea, veering back to see the island below, the party glowing like an ember at the edge of a dark mountain.

A moment later, they were among the stars, high above the planet.

"Where are we going?" Rey asked curiously.

Ben slid her a sly glance. "Somewhere nobody else knows about."

"Nobody," she scoffed.

"Nobody. I found it in one of your Jedi texts. Unless someone else has borrowed your books and translated the old writing, we are the only ones alive who can find it."

A pleasant tingle ran down Rey's spine at the thought of having a secret spot they could escape too. A place no one could find them.

Ben hummed in wordless agreement to her unspoken thought.

With the coordinates set, Rey engaged the hyperdrive and the Falcon purred happily into whirling blue space. No difficult mechanics and failed motivators today. Maybe she was going easy on them in her own rudimentary act of celebration.

With nothing to do but wait until they were out of hyperspace, Ben grabbed Rey's hand again and drew her out of her chair, pulling her into his lap. One arm wound around her middle, the other slyly moving up the back of her neck to her hair, sliding out the pins she'd used to secure it so it fell free down her neck. He pressed his lips into her shoulder.

"You smell like fresh air," he murmured.

Heat crept up her body, pooling in her cheeks. She laughed softly, leaning into him. "I hope that's a good thing."

"It is." He held her close, pressing his forehead against her, swallowing hard. After a minute of silence, he confessed, "All day I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how I should feel. But when I saw you—"

His voice caught, and Rey put her hand on the side of his face. He leaned into it. She stroked her thumb across his high cheekbone, a flood of tenderness rising up into her throat.

"I know," she said softly. "I felt it too."

For most of that day she had kept her end of their Force bond quiet, sitting at the top of the island, alone with her thoughts and unsettled feelings. She had the keen sense that she was standing at the edge of some metaphorical precipice again, a moment of irreversible change. A moment of choice which would alter the trajectory of her life forever. She was ready to make it — fear wasn't the dominant feeling here. Indeed daily life wouldn't change much at all. But the sensation that overwhelmed her after the Force vision in the Rylothian cave meadow had returned, and she needed to sit with it for a while, to try to understand it. She eventually left, not sure that she succeeded but ready to face the music anyway.

But when she saw Ben, waiting for her, arrayed in dark gray and looking at her like the sun had dawned for the very first time, everything inside her resolved into one powerful feeling of belonging. That vision didn't matter. Her unsettled emotions quieted. All that mattered now was Ben, her tortured prince, and the promise she would repeat to him once more. The promise she gave him first at the Resistance base, just before he kissed her for the first time.

The Force moved through them now in amplified waves, powerful and harmonious and satisfied. They felt it, even hurtling through space faster than light. There was so much they could explore, so much to learn about what their unusual bond meant for their abilities. They'd managed to find the trick of sharing power, but there had to be more. They weren't two halves of one whole for no reason at all.

"I will find the secrets that are waiting for us," Ben promised in a low murmur. "We will discover our full potential."

She slid her hand around the back of his neck, toying with his hair. "And as you search the ancient ways, I will pass on what we know. New generations will follow in our footsteps, in the middle path."

Rey could picture the place in her mind. Their home away from all of the galaxy's troubles. The place where they would establish their own Force temple. A foggy, craggy highland on an isolated planet. A place that most of the time was shrouded in gray mist, but on a clear day would provide a whole dazzling view. She didn't know where it was, but they'd both seen it before, and she had no doubt they would find it.

"We'll accelerate the First Order plan," he decided. "We'll finish it, so we can be free. None of that feels important anymore anyway. Only this."

He held her tighter still, and she rested her head in the crook of his neck. He smelled like fresh air too, she realized. Like the ocean breezes and grass of the island.

They stayed like that, relaxed together, for the remainder of their hyperspace flight. When the approach signal beeped, Rey went back to her own seat and dropped the ship out of hyperspace.

A little planet loomed before them, emerald green and turquoise, its atmosphere streaked with white fluffy weather systems. It looked peaceful. Rey gave Ben a curious glance.

"Are the locals pre-industrial? Is that why the galaxy doesn't know about this place? It looks too beautiful to be unknown."

Places like Endor's moon with tribal populations could go unnoticed for generations, simply because their indigenous residents didn't reach out to the rest of the modern galaxy and until they were discovered had no opportunity for trade. But something as idyllic-looking as this would surely be a tourist destination if the rest of the galaxy knew about it.

"There are no locals," Ben said. "This world has no evolved species. It is early in its life-cycle. Nothing has evolved enough to have discovered tools."

Rey blinked in surprise. They really would have the place all to themselves, then. The whole planet. "And you found this in the Jedi texts?"

"It's an old waypoint between temples. Long ago, Jedi would sometimes stop here on their pilgrimages, or to retreat for fasting and meditation."

The Falcon sank into the planet's atmosphere, Rey deft at the helm, taking them to a place she only knew how to find by Ben's unspoken guidance. She could see small seas and deep canyons filled with glittering turquoise water cutting between verdant green landscapes. As they got closer, she saw birds flying over lush forests and wide open meadows. Huge mountains jutted sharply out of the landscape, indigo-black rocks making for dramatic cliff faces and giving the lowlands imposing sentinels. Peace immediately filled her heart at the sight of it.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

He smiled. "I thought you might like it."

"Have you already been here?" She banked into a narrow valley. A river snaked down the center of it, with grassy fields and patches of green willowy trees intermittently along its bank. On either side, rocky mountain slopes rose sharply above, waterfalls tumbling here and there, both big and small. She sucked in a sharp breath.

"Of course I have," he said with amusement. "I didn't want to bring you to a place I hadn't vetted first. What if the old Jedi waypoint was only a bare rock in the middle of a vast desert?"

Rey grimaced at the thought. "No thank you."

"I figured you've had enough of deserts to last you a lifetime," he agreed.

He motioned to a clear stretch of grass, and together they prepared the landing.

"But when did you have time?" she pressed, still bewildered. "When I'm with you almost always?"

"Not recently. My mother commandeered more of your time with those dresses than you realized."

Rey made a sound of disgust. She enjoyed every moment she got to spend with Leia, but _that_ ordeal was a test of her love in ways she never could have imagined. Leia was excited, she knew that — she wanted Rey to look lovely and for everything to be just right. But stars, those dresses. She had paraded in all of Naboo's top designers and given them all a chance to win her business. Rey had tried on every imaginable combination of fabric, some of them as close against her skin as liquid, every tiny detail on display, and others so billowy and huge she couldn't even imagine how a person was supposed to move. One had a neckline that plunged all the way to her navel, and another had so many layers she required droid assistance just to get out of it. None of them felt like her.

But she didn't want to offend Leia, and she was grateful for the gesture — Leia was willing to spare no cost if it meant finding something Rey would love. But Naboo fashion and Rey didn't exactly get along, and Rey didn't know how to tell her that she would prefer to just wear her usual garb. Finally Leia brought in an elderly designer who once made apparel on Alderaan. The woman spent the day with Rey, talking little but observing much. She accompanied Rey on all her tasks, watched all her interactions, and at the end, told Leia respectfully that her vision for the girl was all wrong. Then she designed and crafted a dress that made Rey breathe a sigh of relief when she put it on. It was exactly right. And when Leia saw it, she teared up, hugging Rey tightly. Then she thanked the designer and paid her handsomely. The designer said she was honored to make something for her princess one last time.

Rey surfaced from the memory with wry amusement. Ben was right, that whole process had taken up _a lot_ of time. Wasted time, in Rey's opinion, but she loved Leia too much to say it aloud.

When the Falcon was finally shut down, Rey ran for the loading ramp, eager to see this paradise Ben had found for them. She punched the button to lower it and ran down it before it had even touched down, leaping out into the grass. There she turned a slow circle, taking in the enormous slopes towering above her, the golden glow of two binary suns shining off the scattered waterfalls, the cry of birds and babble of the stream. She closed her eyes and breathed, letting the sounds and smells, the kiss of sunlight and the flow of the Force pass through her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the little structure nestled in a grove of lush trees. It was a tiny cottage made of stones, bearing a roof covered over with moss and vines clinging to the side. That must have been where they stayed, the Jedi pilgrims who came before.

Ben had emerged from the Falcon and now came up beside her, a hand finding the small of her back. "So, you approve?"

"Thirty seconds here and I can't understand why anyone who came here ever left again," she said breathlessly.

His eyes danced with amusement and pleasure. "For the same reasons we'll have to leave too, I imagine."

"Responsibilities and people who care," Rey sighed. She turned into him, grabbing his collar and lifting herself up on her toes to give him a little kiss. "But thank you for finding this. It's way better than my idea."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you think so."

Leia had explained to Rey that it was a common practice for the couple to go somewhere alone after getting married, to enjoy a few days away from daily life to discover this new shift in their relationship. She asked them what they wanted to do about that. And like every single thing she'd been asked to decide about this whole wedding business, Rey had no idea. When she finally settled on Ahch-To for the wedding itself, she wondered to Ben why they couldn't just have everyone leave after the business was done and the two of them could remain there alone. That seemed simple and agreeable to her. But Ben wasn't satisfied. He told her to leave it to him, he'd find somewhere comfortable where they didn't have to think about the specter of his uncle hanging around and repeating his performance of interrupting their intimate moments.

Rey laughed remembering it.

She could find amusement now, about Luke bursting in on their hand-touching because everything had worked out so much better than he thought, but at the time it had angered her.

Ben tucked her hair behind one ear, letting his knuckles gently graze along the line of her jaw. His eyes were soft and warm again, the look in them familiar.

"I can't seem to convince my mind that any of this is real," he confessed. "That you are now my — my wife."

He stumbled over saying it as much as she squirmed to hear it. She leaned up again, hoping to silence any further use of that word by giving him something else to do.

He sunk into the distraction willingly, responding to her kiss with the heat he'd kept back earlier. She wrapped her arms around his neck, his own embrace helping to support her as she lost herself to this moment. To the taste of him and the happiness glowing in his mended heart. To the peace and purpose that engulfed her own.

And here there was no one to interrupt, nor any sudden flare of fear. So she stayed there with him for a long time, exploring the feel of him as if everything had changed since last they kissed like this. It _did_ feel different. Deeper, somehow. Her fingers found his hair, _so much_ hair, curls and waves that she loved to play with whenever they got close like this. He rumbled his pleasure, the thunder rolling through his chest against her. She liked inducing that sound in him. The birds around them called to one another, the waterfalls and the stream the only steady source of sound in this otherwise empty place. The knowledge that there was nobody else here emboldened her. It set her inhibitions free, cutting them one string at a time.

She took off his outermost layer and pushed her hands beneath his simpler under shirt, letting her fingers run over the strong muscles in his back. His arm around her waist pulled her in closer as he rumbled again. But just as soon as he drew her in like that, his grip slackened and he pushed her back a few inches, breathing fast, infinite black eyes searching her face with an unspoken question. She met his eyes, her own chest heaving with excited breaths, and gave him a tiny grin.

It was all he needed. He took her hand, leading her towards the little cottage. He kept glancing back at her with an expression that made her tingle from head to toe, and her heart raced an eager rhythm in her chest. Her hand was warm in his, and she kept glancing at the sharp edge of his jaw, the lushness of his hair, the ripple of his fine, strong body. Stars, he was such a specimen of genetic victory. She'd always known that, had been struck by his beauty the first time he'd taken off his helmet and been flushed with embarrassing intrigue when she caught him with his shirt off. But like the kiss, it felt different now.

Silly. Nothing was really that different.

They got to the cottage and Ben pulled her around, pressing her back up against the door and returning to her lips with such a hunger that it took her breath away.

On Jakku she'd accused him of thinking too much, being unable to commit to the moment for fear of losing control. Even on their little moon, when she tried to make something out of her restless, jumpy feelings, they'd both been too much in their own heads to let go. Now, it was all too easy to let go. Ben's mind was as devoid of cognitive thought as she'd ever detected, full instead of instinct and desire. He wasn't trying to maintain control now. She almost struggled to keep up with his fervor, until she used the door for leverage and shimmied up his body, wrapping her legs around his waist as she'd done in her AT-AT on Jakku, and forced him to crane his head up to kiss her. Only then did she gain the advantage - for a full second - until he moved his attentions to her to her neck and collar. She sucked in a sharp breath, immediately melting into his grasp while chills spread from the places where his lips fell.

In the room at the casino, Rey had managed to seize control and get him on his back, subject to her own inner predator, but she could tell that wasn't going to happen now. Ben was uncaged.

He held her tightly against him and she hung on as he fumbled behind her to open the door. A swath of cold air hit her back when he did get it open and they moved into dim, muted light, but that was the last thing real thought she had because then he was kissing her again.

She didn't notice anything about the interior of the cottage at all. She was too busy. Too lost in Ben and his ardor, his demolished inhibitions. She was a bundle of superheated nerves, all gasps and lips and hands and hair, barely aware that she'd been set down on some kind of plushy, soft surface.

Nothing between them had ever been easy. Their relationship was fraught from the beginning, a complicated web of animosity and magnetism, antagonists and would-be allies, opposites standing on either end of a cosmic scale, desperate to deny the attraction they both felt. Enemies attempting to ignore the powerful movement of the Force between them, binding them to one another. They'd had to break down so much of their own identities, stripping themselves down to their very cores, to be able to finally admit the love that had crept up between them. And even when it got easier to confess feelings, being physically intimate was still all tangled up in complicated issues. This…this marriage thing…it was Ben's idea for how to get past those issues. Actually, she knew it went much deeper than that for him and he'd proposed for so many more reasons than just this, right now. But whatever his reasoning —

It worked.

 _This_ was easy. Finally.

As easy as breathing. And even though Ben was all hunger and fire and dominance, he took his time. Like an artist skillfully and thoughtfully bringing colors out of a painting, or a sculpture out of stone, he applied exactly the right touch or word or breath at exactly the right time, drawing from her reactions she couldn't control. And his ministrations were tender, worshipping, even in his consuming desire. He was inside her head, aggressive and awed in equal measure, attune to her every feeling. When she thought she was ready, he knew otherwise. He made her wait, adding more fuel to the fire, not willing to rush any part of this.

She was in his head too, and she saw his overwhelming, overflowing adoration. It was as if every moment they'd ever endured together, from the very first blaster fire on Takodana to their kiss on the crest of the island had been leading to right now, and he was all about making it count. The fear he'd harbored was gone, replaced by confidence and desire and belonging. He was safe with her, and he would keep her safe in return. Through his mind flickered a hundred thoughts of adoration, and Rey was as overwhelmed by what she found there as what he was doing to her body. He hunted her pleasure, craving the sparks of love that exploded in her heart when he introduced her to a new feeling. He was loving every second of this, which elicited her own aching surge of affection in response.

Their trust in each other, which they already believed to be strong before they began, soared to new heights. Rey had never felt anything like this - not physically, of course - but not emotionally either. She'd not known it was possible to be even more united than they already were, but this was a furnace and they were ore.

When he finally did fulfill her mewling pleas and pushed them through that last threshold, she clung to him, shuddering and burying her face in the hollow between his neck and his shoulder. And even though he too trembled, he drew her out of hiding and soothed her with tender kisses, comforting her through it. Desire consumed her body and soul, with no pain or fear to take the edge off. The more she fed that desire, the more it gave her powerful love in return. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, could only feel and react and drown in Ben.

He breathed her name like a prayer, and she clutched him to her, almost sick with the strength of the emotions flowing through their shared mind.

She never should have been afraid of this. Not with him. It was perfect.

And he was her, and she was him, and together they fell into the fire.

The Force around them blazed bright, a seismic shift rippling out over everything it touched. Two becoming one, a dyad made whole. Everything revolved and resolved, settling at last, the light and dark mixing into glorious shades of shadow and shine.

Later, Rey would notice the cottage and decide it was perfect. She would ask Ben about the bed, which he'd admit to bringing in ahead of time because the sleeping accommodations previously were stone slabs, like the huts on Ahch-To. They would spend so many days on the planet, exploring the wilderness and exploring each other, that when they finally returned to the larger galaxy, they'd discover that everyone went mad trying to figure out where they'd gone. But the issues that arose in their extended absence would be easily dealt with, especially together.

They would go on a thrilling quest to deliver justice to Cedris, the director for Kuat-Entralla Enterprises when they learned he was trying to cheat them, once again joining blades in vengeance against him, and nobody who would hear about it after would dare try to cross the duo again.

Ben would fulfill his mother's mandate and dismantle the organization that had tried to subjugate the entire galaxy. What worked and was deemed appropriate, Poe and the new government would incorporate. That which was dark would be destroyed. Planets would be restored, slaves set free, crime syndicates would be enraged and the galaxy would go on in a new version of everything it had always been before.

Rey would teach Finn to feel the Force, and discover that he had a knack for it after all. He might never be the stuff of Jedi, but he was a Force Sensitive nonetheless. After him, she would go on to teach others, taking breaks from helping Ben with the First Order to commune with the Force and show others how. Sometimes Leia would join her in this, and every time they did this, the two women would see visions of those who had gone before.

Skywalker and Solo would go on to become names uttered everywhere in the galaxy, in fear and awe, in hope and hate. They'd become figures of myth for many, sources of trouble for some. Those who tried to hold Ben accountable for his father's debts would be dealt with swiftly and harshly, and they learned that _this_ Solo was much more dangerous than the last.

And together they would scour the galaxy and the Unknown Regions for Force knowledge, growing always in their ability and in their bond.

But all of that would come. For now, it could wait.

Rey glowed, peaceful and still now, Ben blissed out and lethargic, his head on her chest, impossibly soft fur blanket pulled up and over their quickly cooling bodies. His breathing was steady and deep against her, his mind drifting slow and tranquil somewhere between sleep and profound relaxation. Her fingers carded absently through his hair. She marveled at the change in her, because even though she tried to convince herself that nothing really would be different after today, she saw now how wrong that was. Everything had altered. Even her body felt unrecognizable. Things would be different now, going forward. But unlike this morning atop island summit, she didn't wonder what it meant. She didn't care. So long as she was with him, she could face just about anything.

After several sweet minutes, Ben lifted his head. His eyes searched her, warm and seemingly lit with some deep glow within those fathomless depths. He shifted against her, inching up so he could kiss her one more time, soft and reverent. "Rey."

Her heart sang at the sound of her name on his lips again. She stroked his hair back from his face. "Ben."

"You are my missing piece." His voice was soft, but broken. Like it was long ago when he told her she wasn't alone. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you."

"It took me just as long to find you," she said gently. "But we're here now."

"I love you, Rey."

"Ben," she breathed, closing her eyes to the sublime peace washing through her heart. "I love you too."

And that was the miracle.

Yes, the future and everything they would accomplish together could wait, forever if need be. Right now they were just Ben and Rey, healed and whole. Two fractured pieces that fit together at last. Lonely children who had looked into the stars and cried into the void and waited desperately for anyone to answer. At last they had discovered each other and learned how to save one another with selfless love. Binary stars, forever joined in the cosmic dance, their fates intertwined, as destined from before the beginning.

And the Force was with them.


	20. Chapter 20

EPILOGUE: Quickening

* * *

 **BEN**

* * *

He woke with a start, jerking upright and looking wildly into the gloom. Outside, pale newborn light was starting to ease the intensity of the night sky, but sunrise would still be an hour away, at least.

Ben's gaze darted around the dark room for the source of the sound he'd heard - or thought he heard. His psychic senses expanded even further than his eyesight, but could detect no intrusion or threat. Everything was peaceful in his little house. Maybe the sound had been in his dream. Was it even a sound? Or just a feeling? And for that matter, what had he been dreaming about, anyway? He couldn't remember. He'd been sleeping so much better the past few months, untroubled by nightmares, and sometimes he dove too deep to be able to recall any dreams. It was a foreign feeling, but he liked it.

This dream, whatever it was, had shattered the moment he heard that...whisper? Murmur?

He glanced over at the still form in bed beside him, only the rhythmic sound of her breath stirring the silence of the room. He wasn't the only one sleeping better. Since their life together had "officially" begun, she'd started sleeping so deeply that sometimes Ben had to check that she was still alive.

Like now, for instance. She hadn't heard the sound or stirred at the movement of Ben waking in sudden violence. She was sprawled on her stomach, arms tucked beneath her pillow, face smashed halfway into it making Ben wonder how she could breathe at all. Her hair was wild around her head. An amused half-smile tipped his lips.

Maybe she had made the sound in her sleep. That wouldn't be unusual. He was well acquainted with the little hums and sighs she sometimes produced in her slumber. In fact, he'd developed a thorough knowledge of all her sounds and murmurs since they'd said their vows on Ahch-To. It probably wasn't her then who had woken him. He was used to hearing her, but this, whatever it was, had jarred him.

But nothing felt amiss. No malevolence threatened the stillness of their quiet house. It probably was some phantom from a dream, he decided.

Mollified, he relaxed back against the wall behind their bed and let his gaze travel over the lines of Rey's naked form, bold in his unconcealed appreciation. If she should wake and catch him eyeing her like that, he'd probably have to persuade her to make something of the morning. Not that she would need much persuading. All the new frontier they'd physically explored together since marrying had done nothing to sate their appetites. In fact, it seemed to awaken a hunger in Rey that she never anticipated. Ben was pleased to indulge that new side of her, and pleased to let his own, which had always existed in a well-guarded prison inside him, be unfettered at last.

But she didn't wake now, and so he was content to just enjoy the view for a minute.

Ben had been gone for over a week, to deal with First Order business and to hunt down an old book of Force lore he'd learned about. Rey had chosen to stay this time. Mostly she would accompany him on business with the First Order, Ben knew she liked sometimes playing with that feeling she got by scaring the wits out of his subordinates. But she had half a dozen students expected to filter in and out over the next few days, so she let him go alone. It wasn't unusual for them to be apart for brief periods like that — since marrying her, Ben had been able to find balance in the need to be in her presence versus the need to conduct affairs apart from her. Their teenage need to be together every minute was finally maturing.

Still, Ben was always glad to return after their escapades split them up temporarily.

The reunion last night was…enthusiastic.

An itch to kiss the smooth plane of her back was growing, so he got out of bed and went to the window.

The morning fog hadn't risen yet, so the fading night was clear and calm. Rocky highlands sprawled before him, his view unbroken for miles. A few woolly Tusksheep grazed in the distance, getting an early start on their breakfast. Between them and him, there was the training arena he and Rey and built together. Perhaps built was a generous word for it. They'd cleared some land and levitated in some enormous boulders, as both obstacles and foes.

A soft, contented noise escaped Rey in her sleep, drawing Ben away from the window again. He pulled the blankets up and over her bare shoulders and then went to find his own clothes. It was a chilly morning, but he still chose a white training tank and grey pants, throwing a long black hooded jacket over it all until he got warm enough to ditch it.

He left the little house they'd found here, once belonging to shepherds of the Tusksheep, and struck out into the pre-dawn gloom. It was no use trying to back to sleep anyway. He was awake and ready to get to work.

In another little structure several meters away, a converted grain house, slept Rey's current two students. Ben didn't know them, but Rey had spoken of them last night after he arrived. One was a young human kid from Coruscant, a teenager who Rey described as definitely being Force Sensitive, and an elderly Mon Calamari woman, who didn't have any special gifts but who had heard of Rey's lessons and wanted to come try to commune with her departed loved ones.

They wouldn't be up for a while, Ben knew, and so he had the place to himself.

He went first to the third structure they were building: a temple, of sorts. It wouldn't be big — it didn't need to be. But it would house their sacred books and have rooms where Rey could take her students during inclement weather. Right now she just used the converted grain shed, but it was a tight squeeze if she had more than one person here at a time. And anyway, it was more the symbol of the thing, having a Force temple here.

Ben could have harnessed his abilities to stack the rocks they were using to build the walls, but he preferred doing it manually. He pulled off his jacket, letting the chill of the morning sting his arms. He began hauling rocks, one by one, and placing them on the already half-built walls. Every few layers, he stopped to lay cob between the rocks before stacking more. It was a menial task, but he liked it. It was good to work his body like that, and he savored the stretch and pull of his muscles. It was like the physical training he used to do under the service of Snoke, except this was much more fulfilling.

By the time he finished, he was sweating and dawn had broken, drawing with it the morning mist. It closed in on the highland, muting the dazzling sunlight streaked on the the horizon.

This place was shrouded in fog most of the time. But then, they knew it would be — they'd seen it in their shared vision on Ryloth. And Ben liked the melancholy nature of the perpetual fog. It lent a dramatic air to what they were doing here, which he appreciated. Rey liked using it as a visual metaphor to help her students.

He picked up his cloak and headed to the training ground. After lifting rocks, a change of pace would be nice, and he didn't get to use his lightsaber often enough these days. The itch was terrible.

He was still at the training ground when Rey finally found him an hour later.

He pivoted and swung, bringing his crackling blade down in a frenetic hiss. The stone enemy before him cleaved in two, the halves crumbling to the ground. Extinguishing the saber, Ben wiped sweat-slick hair back from his eyes as he made his way towards her.

She was at the edge of the training ring, wrapping her palms in strips of linen.

"Every time you come back from being gone for a while, you have to go destroy our perfectly good rocks," she commented, a cheeky grin robbing the reproach from her words.

"As if this place has any shortage of boulders to replace them with." He kissed her gently in greeting. "Good morning. What's wrong with your hands?"

"Nothing," she responded, allowing him to take one and turn it over for his inspection. "I got a blister when I was training yesterday."

"A blister?" He almost laughed. Rey's hands were some of the toughest he'd ever seen, used to all kinds of labor as they were. She could grab rough metal edges or spend all day whipping a lightsaber around without ever showing a mark of wear. A blister? Ben would have thought she was beyond such things.

She shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know."

He contemplated her for a moment, puzzled. Maybe this life was too soft for her. Maybe not having to scavenge or train for war was causing her body to finally allow some weakness.

"Are our guests up yet?" he asked, nodding his chin in the direction of the grain shed — which was thoroughly obscured by fog.

"No," she replied. "I checked. Still sound asleep."

He was hoping for that. He knew Rey liked to get up early for her own training before spending the day with her students. He almost always joined her. Fighting beside her, and against her, was the best part of any day. He eyed her practical, charcoal colored training attire, the hair she wore down brushing her shoulders, the flash in her dusky desert eyes, and corrected the thought. It was _almost_ the best part of any day.

She nudged him. "Hey, stop ogling. Let's get warmed up."

"I happen to like the view, and I'm already warmed up," he teased.

"Then you can help me." She jogged past him, and he turned to follow.

They didn't have the fancy holographic equipment the Resistance had provided them on their base, but that didn't much matter. Ben preferred using only their natural environment and each other. He grabbed a couple of training staffs — they usually sparred with those unless they wanted a _really_ good fight — and followed her out into the ring.

Rey jogged around for a minute, climbing on and leaping over some of the boulders to get her muscles moving before she came back to Ben and grabbed a staff. Their opportunities for real combat had faded considerably since the war ended and the First Order was almost entirely dissolved, but they stayed sharp anyway. Occasionally they intervened in matters that required aggressive negotiations, but not often. If they accepted too many requests for help in every troubled system, they'd quickly become known as the galaxy's mercenary police. Neither of them wanted that.

He was deep in thought about this when he realized she'd murmured something to him. He glanced back up. "What?"

"What?" she repeated, startled.

"I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything. Actually, I thought you did."

"No." He frowned, giving her a puzzled look. He had heard a distinct sound — like someone saying something. Hadn't he? "Your students?"

She shook her head, looking around. "I don't think so. It was close, and they aren't."

Disquieted, Ben let his gaze travel around the arena. He remembered the strangeness that jolted him out of sleep this morning. This felt the same - something his mind had heard, or processed, but not understood. Maybe it hadn't been a dream after all.

Rey knocked her training staff against his. "Hey, come on. Don't worry about it. We built a sanctuary for the Force in a spooky fog world. Maybe it's some Force Ghost here to haunt us. It'll manifest soon, if it's anything. In the meantime," she cut a combative stance. "Fight me."

He grinned and squared off against her, ready to begin the dance - when he heard it again.

His body stiffened. It wasn't really a whisper…or rather, it didn't seem to have the quality of a voice. He didn't hear it with his ears, but with his soul. Like a tremor in the Force, light enough to only be a breath.

Rey quickly straightened too. She'd also felt it, then. She glanced at Ben and he saw the same knowledge on her face that he himself had just recognized — this wasn't coming from some relative beyond the grave. This had the feeling of a living presence.

Ben's sense of danger skyrocketed. They weren't alone. Someone, or some _thing_ was here. Rey moved away from him, towards the perimeter of the training arena. Ben stalked off to the other side to do the same, sweeping his gaze and his perception along the edge of boulders and twiggy scrubs. Detecting nothing, he continued moving, gripping the staff tight, ready to use it or his lightsaber at the slightest provocation. But the feeling - or sound - or tremor, did not touch him again.

Rey mirrored him on the other side, circling opposite him while investigating the border of their ring, a lioness staring into the fog for prey. When they'd searched the whole thing, she turned back to him with a puzzled expression. She hadn't found anything either.

Ben was just as mystified as he was concerned. It _had_ been a disturbance in the Force, hadn't it? And not something cosmic and grand, but something immediate and - like she said - right here.

Rey jumped, whirling around, eyes wide.

It was near her.

Ben swallowed the distance between them in a few long strides. Only when he drew close to her again did he feel it too — but this time it had something of an echo. The same feeling, but twice in rapid succession. Like two feather-light touches just barely brushing his consciousness.

What _was_ that?

Rey glanced from Ben into the fog again, her brows low and drawn together. She backed up and slid sideways, and he recognized that she was trying to triangulate with him so they could be prepared to meet something should it leap out at them. The faint feeling withdrew as she edged away, directly in tandem with her movements. Ben felt its absence like a cold draft seeping through an open door. In a flash he stepped forward and pulled Rey back. The incomprehensible murmur returned.

"It's you," he realized.

"No, it isn't," she said defensively, cutting him a disturbed look.

But Ben knew he'd guessed right. Somehow. Whatever this was had attached itself to her. And for a brief moment, he tensed, cold fear flashing through him that some malevolent presence had fixated on her like a parasite. Like Snoke had done to him as a child. But this worry was fleeting. Whatever these blips of the Force were, they didn't have the chill of darkness.

"Yes, it is, it's you," he said again, softly. He reached up to brush his fingers to her temple. They'd not needed such primitive methods as physical touch to see into one another's minds since that very first encounter, but he did it now anyway to ensure there was no error in his investigation. She glared at him but allowed it.

Something about the way the Force moved through her was off. Had she developed some kind of energy hiccup? He couldn't figure it out. Her image in his awareness was bright and steady as ever — actually brighter, much brighter. She was a blazing beacon of light, a hot star blinding to comprehend. But every once in a while, Ben detected random flickers interrupting her shine.

"You've got a short in your wire," he said, hoping to lighten the mood, though this unusual manifestation of her Force had them both concerned.

She frowned, her brow furrowing as she extended her hand towards one of the boulders and flexed her Force muscles, testing her strength. A sonic boom burst from, knocking Ben to the ground and disintegrating all the rest of the stone enemies in the arena. He stared up at her, astonished at the immense power surge resulting from a simple stretch.

Rey was instantly beside him, alarmed and worried. "Ben! I'm sorry!"

He let her help him to his feet. "Rey…" he said, bewildered. His heart was beating too quickly, and he didn't know why.

She looked at her hands. "I don't…" her words trailed off, but her mind finished it for him anyway. She didn't recognize the fit of her own power.

Ben shook his head. When had she gotten so strong?

They felt it again, that tremor in double. It pulsed through them both, now very clearly originating in her. But not, Ben decided, in her mind. That was a steady well of strength, and these flutters came from elsewhere. From her, but not from her.

Driven purely by instinct, and almost as if a daze, Ben sank to his knees and held her gently at her waist, staring at the smooth plane of her abdomen. A tingle of suspicion ran down the back of his neck. It couldn't be….?

"What are you—" she started to demand, but cut it off sharply when they felt the blips again.

Ben moved one of his hands onto her stomach, spreading his palm over the area just below her navel.

Two faint consciousness trickled into his awareness, neither of them belonging to the woman in his hands.

Ben's lips parted in shock, a little breath escaping him. Rey gasped and wrenched away from his touch, staring at him as if he'd just touched a live current.

He rose to his feet again, his heart galloping renewed, wild rhythm in his chest as the impact of this discovery slowly settled over him. He couldn't think. His mind searched for something to grab onto, and found nothing. He searched Rey's eyes. Her complex prisms, gray-brown flecked with green.

The couple looked at one another wordlessly, for meaning, for understanding, for any sense of reality to ground them. But there was no reality — this — this was something incomprehensible. Ben felt untethered.

New. Faint. Soft. Two living beats. Two pulses of light. Strangers both, and yet…not. Somehow.

Rey reached for him and he caught her, steadied her. Then, overwhelmed, he pulled her in close and held her to him as if she were the one about to float away and he was her anchor.

"Did you know?" he asked helplessly, even though he already knew the answer.

Her heart was pounding even more than his, drumming through her whole trembling body. She buried her face into his chest. "No," came her muffled reply.

Even as he steadied her, Ben wondered who would steady him if he suddenly lost the ability to stand. His thoughts spun dizzily. How — how?

Well, he knew _how_.

But stars, how? This wasn't the plan. But they were both of them under informed and hopelessly naive, and now…

He expelled a shaky, unstable breath. Okay. Okay. He took stock of himself and his surroundings, trying to find some clarity of thought. He was fine. There was no threat. They were safe, and nothing was wrong. Rey didn't have a hiccup in her abilities. She was... fine. Fine? Was that the right word? Did that adequately convey her state of being, given what was happening inside her?

Suddenly he worried about all their trainings over the last few weeks. He'd been too rough with her. She'd pushed herself too hard. He thought of all her falls and scapes and how she always got back up when she made a mistake and tried it again and again until she got it right. That was bad. They needed to cool down. Take it easy.

But how could they have known? The impossible had never occurred to them. This…wasn't supposed to happen. He couldn't really even let himself think the words. To name the situation.

But no. No. Ben knew he was wrong. It _had_ occurred to him once, what felt like a lifetime ago when they were rocked by that powerful Force Vision which showed them this place and showed them all those who would learn from them. He'd seen them, two, and beautiful, with dark eyes like his and dark hair like his but her face. Their mother's face. Daughters. He'd only perceived them to be what they were because when he looked at Rey in that vision, beside him, he saw her and knew what she was.

It had angered him, and terrified him, and made him want to keep Rey at arm's length because he could not allow that to become his reality. He wasn't going to let more Skywalkers come into this world. Or Solos for that matter. He had to be the last because...because...

Because his family was problematic and the galaxy was much better off without them.

But in all his feverish joy at her becoming his wife, he'd forgotten. They remembered the vision only in that it showed them the place that they would build their temple, but not the rest. He'd been to caught up in Rey, in adoring her in all the ways he didn't dare before, and he'd forgotten.

He did this.

But guilt was dim and faint compared to the breathless wonder trapped in his chest. He needed to feel it again. Just to be sure. He held her back and once more crouched to the level of her womb. This time he pulled her to him and planted a gentle, worshipping kiss.

Once again, the niggling, breathy little psychic touches came. Tapping against his heart. Real and alive and in double.

Rey yanked him up to his feet, something in her face which he could not begin to decipher. She opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her, snatching away her words with a kiss, drowning in a sudden rush of passion and incredulous, exhilarated joy. Whatever he'd said or thought before about fathering another generation was utterly swept away, driven back like the fog before the night wind.

Life thrived where it did not before. Rey was fostering it, growing it, within her own miraculous body. He had never been so in awe of her.

She wrenched away from him suddenly, fear welling up in her like volcanic magma. "No, no, Ben, stop it. You're _happy_? I thought…" she choked on the words. "I thought you didn't want this. You said we wouldn't do this."

He did say that. When he asked if she would marry him, she brought it up as a concern. He didn't even think about his answer then. It didn't think about the vision either. Or if he did, he thought they would thwart it somehow.

"I know. I meant it. But Rey, it doesn't matter what I wanted or what I said." He brushed her hair back from her brow, holding her face in his hands. "They're there. You felt them."

She was pale, hands clinging to his shirt. Her eyes were wide and fearful and desperate. "I can't….Ben, I don't know how…"

Ben saw that in the midst of his incomprehensible happiness, Rey was drowning in panic. "It's alright," he murmured gently. "It's going to be alright. We'll figure this out. Anything the Force wills, remember? We can face it together. And we don't have to do this alone."

Well, she would have to do the next part alone. But after, when two had become four. The people Rey had loved and been loved by would rally around her. Around all of them.

He saw movement in the mist and looked up to see Rey's two students making their way towards them. Ben kissed her forehead and promised to be right back, heading over to intercept the unwanted intruders in this moment of moments.

"H-hi," the teenager from Coruscant said nervously. "You're—you're—"

"Yes," Ben cut him off. "You're up early."

"You're Master Solo," the kid finished, cheeks flushing bright red.

"Master Skywalker told us last night that we were to find her when we woke because she was going to send us into the wilderness for some meditation," the old Mon Calamari woman said, her huge eyes turning from him to Rey sever al yards behind him. "She said she would lead us to the meditation spots, since the mist is so thick, and this fry can't see well in it."

The boy gave her a sour look. "At least my vision is still good for my species," he muttered. "And Master Rey didn't say dawn. She said we could sleep. You're the one insisting we bug her now when she's clearly in the middle of something."

The Mon Calamari woman was about to reply, but Ben waved his hand to cut them both off. He spoke swiftly. "There's been a change of plans. You know the way to the village?"

They both nodded.

"Can you get there in the fog?"

They nodded. The Coruscant kid lifted his hand shyly. "She showed us how to find it."

Ben dropped some credits into their hands. "Go there. Get some food and drink. Take your things with you, and when you are ready, find the pilot Court Kursa. She will take you home. Master Skywalker and I have business to take care of, so we will contact you when you may return for the rest of your lessons."

"Force business?" The kid said in awe.

Ben nodded.

The two guests looked at one another and then at Ben. He waved his hand to encourage their departure. Court did not like the misty highlands, so she'd found a place in the village where she could pal around with the locals and look after the shuttle. Ben was now grateful for her distance. He just needed them out of here. When they'd gone, he raced back to Rey's side.

She was shaking like a leaf, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped to freezing. One hand strayed to her midsection but flinched away again immediately.

"Where did you send them?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Home." He saw with alarm that there were tears pooled in her eyes. Quickly he gathered her into his arms and kissed her so gently, letting reassurance flow from him. She let him in.

"Don't cry. It will be alright, I promise. I know this is overwhelming. I don't have any answers for this," he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. "And I'm sorry. I didn't…think about the consequences…"

He trailed off self-consciously. Then, pushing aside the dichotomy of feeling foolish for his naiveté and feeling absurdly, stupidly proud, he continued. "I can feel your fear. I can't take it away, and I know my own will catch up to me in a moment. But feel them, Rey. Do you feel it?"

Together they reached out with their shared mind and found the wispy, faint blips of light. And they were like magnets, drawing love out of Ben's heart , eliciting such deep feelings that it left no room for doubt or fear or him. Just awe. Rey felt it too, he knew. It took the edge off her terror, though it didn't sweep it away as it did for Ben.

He had never felt such a fierce protective instinct before. He knew immediately that he would stop at nothing to keep them safe. These three precious lives in this hands. Rey was already at work, through she'd not known it until now, doing her part for those two little pieces of them both. He couldn't help her with that — his contribution had been made. Kriff, why that flare of accomplishment when he thought of it? Now it was his duty to keep them from harm. To protect them from anything bad.

"No," Rey cautioned, pulling back and leveling him with a concerned look. "Careful. You can't think that way."

The warnings of the tale of Anakin passed through both their minds, cooling some of his fire. She was right. He had to moderate his feelings. If he obsessed, he would lose what he cherished.

But Ben didn't want to think about these gloomy warnings. He'd find logic and reason floating somewhere nearby and tether himself back to them soon enough. He'd be mindful and accept whatever the Force intended. Or at least he'd try. But right now he just wanted to bask in this overwhelming, dizzying glow.

Rey seemed to have swallowed back her own fear, at least for the moment, growing still in his arms at last. He knew she had never pictured this for herself. Had never yearned for it. Her own mother had abandoned her, lending no example she could lean on. Yet here she was, a being of divine creation, already at work on her living masterpieces. No wonder she was afraid. Ben knew his own terror would find him in time too. The nausea that would come from worrying if his children would resent him as he'd grown to resent his own father. The pressure of knowing they were both strong with the Force, as already evidenced. The understanding that he had no idea what he was doing, any more than Rey did.

All that would come, and probably too soon. But there was no room for that right now. His astonishment was too great, his excitement too unexpected.

"Ben," Rey said, drawing him back. She was watching him with a troubled expression. "Let's not say anything yet. I can't face it. I can't hear anyone else comment on it. But after...when I'm ready...can we go to your mother? I - I need her."

"Yes. We'll go." Whatever she needed. Anything for her, and for them. His mother wasn't the best example he could think of for how to deal with powerful children, but she was the one Rey wanted. And truth be told, Ben couldn't wait to see her reaction. He nodded. "But first—"

He effortlessly swept her into his arms as he had done many times before, only this time he thrilled with the strange knowledge that she wasn't alone in her own skin. And he was the reason. Carrying her away from the training groups, he took them back to their little house.

"I can walk," she said dryly.

"Nope."

"Ben."

He gave her a little smirk, shouldering the door open and carrying her into their bedroom.

"Strange, isn't it? This place was bigger than we needed when we found it," she remarked softly as he set her down. "Now we have the room for — for them."

"Is this where you want to raise them?" he asked, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed. He glanced dubiously out at the fog. "I assumed you'd want to find somewhere green and beautiful."

She expelled a breathless, incredulous laugh, scooting herself up so she was mostly sitting. "I have no idea, Ben. We've built this place - we're building our temple here, but this — they — alter the plan."

"Maybe, maybe not. We don't have to decide right now anyway. We have time." Unable to resist, he put his hand on her midsection again, on the place where the woman he loved was creating the children he never expected to have. His three miracles. She seemed so small and vulnerable to him all of the sudden. His hand was huge on her, and he felt a flicker of worry for what she would have to endure for their sake. His own happiness, he realized, was secondary to her emotions in this because this was _her_ path, and he could not fathom what it would be like for her to walk it.

She put her hand over his, and her touch was warm. This time, she didn't flinch away when they again felt those wispy little hiccups in the Force. She looked up at him, searching his face.

"I'm just..." she searched for words and failed to find any. She drew in a deep breath and tried again. "You're happy, and it's bewildering. And I don't know what to feel right now."

"It's alright," he said gently. "Nothing you feel is wrong. Tell me what you need, and I'll do it."

"I need you to tell me why this is a good thing," She tapped her fingers against the back of his hand, indicating the two treasures that lay under it. "We are uniquely unqualified for this particular mission, Ben."

He smiled and brushed her cheek. "Rey, we've made something here we didn't intend."

"Other people?" she asked glibly.

He laughed. "A family."

Her face flickered at that, her eyes betraying the emotional impact that word had, and then her expression softened. She leaned into his chest, still keeping their joined hands in place on her body.

"A family," she repeated, soft and low. He could feel a ripple of happiness move through her psyche at last. "Ours."

And Ben fell in love all over again, his heart and soul aflame with the chance given to them to create what they'd both hungered for all their lives. Did that mean they might project their traumas onto these children and become overprotective, ridiculously affectionate parents to make certain their offspring always knew they were loved? Probably. Did Ben care? Not in the slightest.

Rey was right, they were totally unqualified, but he had never been more pleased to be wrong about his plan for the future. And he should have known, from the moment he met her his plans for the future had spiraled out of control. She was the gambit of unexpected change in his life, and this was the wildest turn of all. He loved it. He loved her. And he loved them, those little blips of light.

Rey looked up at him, a small smile playing at the corner of her irresistible mouth. Ben wanted to kiss her again.

"You're a man of extreme passions, Ben Solo. Do you ever have an emotion that doesn't carry you away?"

He smirked, pushing her over onto the bed and crouching over her prone body with a hungry glower. "No. But you already knew that about me."

She laughed, reaching up to clasp his face in her hands. "Yes I did."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

That's all, friends! No more on this tale of ours.

Give me your thoughts and feelings and let's process our grief together.

But as for writing Reylo, I'm not done. I'm so far from done. I'm writing a TROS fix-it fic, and also a little one-off to explore the emotional ramifications of what Rey experienced on-screen. I've also outlined an AU fic where Rey gets left with Mando and The Kid instead of Plutt. So hopefully I'll have some new stuff up soon.

Thanks for going on this ride with me! I'm sorry there was an enormous year-long stall in updates. My personal life took an unexpected, but happy turn. Thanks for coming back and finishing this out.


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